It is not always easy to identify a heart attack, but there are some signs that can help. The signals and symptons which characterize a myocardial infarction are:
- Pain in the middle of the chest, usually intense and prolonged (can last for several hours), which can radiate to the arm (especially the inside of the left arm), shoulder, neck and jaw; even at rest, the pain continues;
- Shortness of breath;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Cold sweat;
- Pallor;
- Change in heart rate, which may be slower, faster or irregular;
- Breathing breath.
Usually pain or chest discomfort are also accompanied by tightness or heaviness in the chest.
Despite the chest pain being the main symptom of a heart attack, it does not always happen in older people. Therefore, the shortness of breath is the best signal for to identify an infarction in the elderly.
In the presence of these symptoms, the person should be immediately taken to a hospital, because every second is important to prevent further damage to the heart muscle.
The infarct is the lack of blood circulation in an area of the heart muscle (myocardium), which causes death of the cells due to lack of oxygen. Its main cause is the clogging of the coronary arteries by fat plaques, thus interrupting the flow of blood to the heart.
Learn more at:
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Cardiovascular Diseases: What are the Risk Factors and How to Prevent It?
