People who have heart disease do not always experience chest pain. Rather, they suffer from other symptoms that can alert them to their disease. But, medical experts say that any symptom that seems to be triggered by exertion and relieved by rest could be related to the heart. Being able to detect one’s heart issues allows for earlier access to Cardiovascular Services. People with underlying risk factors like high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, and family history of heart disease can experience other symptoms besides chest pain.
These symptoms include the following:
Dizziness and Light-headedness
Studies show that women have more shortness of breath, vomiting, and nausea than men. Also, they more frequently experience pain in the neck, throat, jaw, back, or abdomen. Arm and jaw nerve fibers run together with the cardiac nerve fibers to the brain. That is why sufferers may experience pain in these areas as the brain confuses the pain signal from the heart. A person who is having a heart attack may also break out in a cold sweat.
Lower Tolerance to Exercise
People with heart disease may feel quite breathless when walking up the stairs. In fact, they may have to stop mid-way to take a break. Those who experience this symptom must submit themselves to a cardiac evaluation.
Shortness of Breath
People who experience labored breathing or shortness of breath may be having a heart attack or heart failure, especially if they experience it while at rest. Also, this can indicate some arrhythmias.
General Fatigue
Some people who experience general fatigue experience a heart attack hours later. In some cases, the chest pain is there; however, the nausea is more prominent so people may think they have flu symptoms.
Those who are concerned about their symptoms should know their risk factors. If they are generally healthy and wake up with flu-like symptoms, they may have flu. However, people who are overweight, have high blood pressure, have a sedentary lifestyle, and have a family history of heart disease must not take their symptoms lightly.
Some clues on one’s heart health and heart attack risk can show up years before unpredictably. Women who experience high blood pressure or preeclampsia during pregnancy are at risk for heart disease later in life. Also, the body can send strange signals associated with an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack. These signals include the presence of yellow fat deposits around the eyelids, an earlobe crease, and male pattern baldness.
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