Contributor: Leslie Cho, MD, Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Cardio Center
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We constantly associate chest pain along with heart attacks, and forever reason, yet it’s not the whole story — especially for women. While chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack, women can easily have symptoms that aren’t related to chest pain at all. They have to be on the lookout for other, subtler symptoms.
Also, we have to dig deeper in to the symptom of chest pain for the two men and women as it relates to heart attacks. It is seldom as dramatic as you may think, and it can easily feel adore stress or heart burn that comes on over time.
Below, find three symptoms you need to watch for, including article concerning exactly how to tell if they are benign or induce for concern.
RELATED: Are You As well Young to have actually a Heart Attack?
1. Unusual fatigue
Like numerous women, you’re probably busy most of the time. You might manage a family, run a household, job outside the house and care for aging parents. You are probably Additionally tired a great deal of the time. Most most likely this is normal.
But you need to pay focus to fatigue if it is brand-new or dramatic. Here’s exactly what to watch out for:
- You are suddenly worn out after your typical physical exercise routine.
- You aren’t exerting yourself, yet have actually fatigue or a “heavy” chest.
- Simple activity adore making the bed, strolling to the bathroom or shopping makes you excessively tired.
- Although you feel exceptionally tired, you Additionally experience sleep disturbance.
2. Sweating and/or shortness of breath
As women age, a lack of physical exercise and gradual weight obtain induce troubles adore shortness of breath. Hot flashes are a common complaint for numerous women throughout menopause.
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But these symptoms can easily signal a heart problem once they happen in certain situations:
- Sudden sweating or shortness of breath free of exertion
- Breathlessness that continues to worsen over time after exertion
- Shortness of breath that worsens once lying down and enhances once propping up
- “Stress” sweat (cold, clammy feeling) once there is no actual induce for stress
- Sweating or shortness of breath accompanied by others symptoms such as chest pain or fatigue
3. Neck, jaw, spine pain
As intricate as our body’s units are, they are fairly adept at giving signals once there is something wrong. once there is a problem along with the heart, it sets off nerves in that area, yet you sometimes feel pain elsewhere.
Pain in the jaw, spine or arms might signal a heart condition, especially if the origin is hard to pinpoint (for example there is no individual muscle or joint that aches). Also, if the discomfort begins or worsens once you are exerting yourself, then stops once you quit exercising, you need to get hold of it checked out.
Here are some others signs to look out for:
- Women, in particular, can easily have actually pain in either arm — not merely the left one adore numerous men.
- Pain in the reduced or upper spine regularly starts in the chest and spreads to these areas.
- The pain is sometimes sudden, not as a result of bodily exertion, and can easily wake you up at night.
- You might feel pain that is individual to the left, reduced adverse of the jaw.
RELATED: Young Women and ‘Silent’ Heart Attacks
What to do if you notice symptoms
Women regularly say they noticed several of these three warning signs weeks or a month before a heart attack.
The sooner you report a problem, the much better the opportunities are of catching an issue prior to it becomes a full-blown heart attack. If you experience any kind of of these symptoms, remember and visit your doctor as quickly as possible.
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When you see your doctor:
- Bring a list of your symptoms and once they are occurring.
- Let your man or her already know concerning any kind of related family history.
- Talk concerning Tension or anything going on in your life that may contribute to a problem.
Your doctor most likely will certainly listen to your symptoms and check your pulse and blood pressure. He or she might order blood work, which will certainly prove to whether your heart is damaged.
Your doctor Additionally might use an electrocardiogram (echo) to tell whether the electrical activity of your heart is normal, or an echocardiogram (EKG) to view images of the heart to see if damage has actually occurred.
All this is crucial in recognizing any kind of issues and taking steps to intervene prior to a feasible heart attack.
When to call 9-1-1
Get guidance right away if you have actually chest pain or discomfort along along with any kind of of these symptoms, especially if they last longer compared to 5 minutes:
- Pain or discomfort in others areas of the upper body, including the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Sweating or “cold sweat”
- Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (might feel adore heartburn)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Light-headedness, dizziness, extreme weakness or anxiety
- Rapid or irregular heart beats
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