Heart disease is a growing problem in the world as more and more people succumb to the stresses of living in a fast-paced society with poor nutrition, less sleep and even less exercise. Heart disease is a leading killer and heart attacks are the most visible sign of heart disease. The American Heart Association predicts that 700,000 people would have their first heart attack in 2004 and their prediction was very close to the mark.
Heart disease in men and women has different signs and symptoms. Both can experience atypical symptoms, or those symptoms that aren’t otherwise thought of as typical. Classic signs of a heart attack will be pain the chest, left arm, epigastric pain that can mimic really bad heart burn, crushing chest pain and even abdominal pain. People may experience being short of breath, pain in the jaw, nausea, chills, sweating or cold, clammy skin. Not all of these symptoms happen with each heart attack so if you experience one of them that doesn’t disappear within 1 or 2 minutes call an ambulance for evaluation at the hospital. During a heart attack seconds count.
Physicians counsel their patients to never to be embarrassed about being taken to the hospital for evaluation of chest pain or a possible heart attack. The doctors would rather you had an exam and found to be healthy rather than die of a heart attack because you were too embarrassed to go to the hospital.
References:
(1) Nursing Research Editor: Symptom Clusters in Acute Myocardial Infarction
http://www.nursing-research-editor.com/authors/OMR/21/OMRManuscript.pdf
Resources:
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Hospital: Heart Disease
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prevalence of Coronary Heart disease
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6040a1.htm
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet
http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_women_heart.htm
MayoClinic: Heart Disease
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB00040
| Advertisement | |
 |
|
Leave a Reply