The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that every year in the US alone, 610,000 people pass away from heart-related conditions. Heart disease affects both men and women for a variety of factors linked to a certain lifestyle. But there are numerous indications and cautions that should alert us to potential heart problems.
Bright Side has compiled 8 very common heart disease warning signs that, if you notice them, you should take seriously. If you’d like to view an additional 8 common red flags, go here.
- Arm pain that is spreading
While most women suffer the same discomfort in one or both arms, many males only feel it in their left arm. Some female heart attack victims have also reported having strange elbow pain before their attacks. This occurs as a result of your brain becoming confused when your heart pain travels to your spinal cord, which is connected to numerous body nerves, leading it to believe that your arm is actually in pain when it isn’t.
- Persistent coughing
In addition to being a symptom of cardiovascular illness, coughing may result from a number of different conditions. Heart failure frequently results in persistent coughing that discharges a pinkish liquid that contains blood. Coughing is a subsymptom of dyspnea, which is a far more significant symptom and causes a sudden loss of breath.
- Extremely high and unique anxiety levels
According to numerous studies, those who experience severe anxiety from a young age are more likely to develop heart disease. A extremely stressful lifestyle or a number of conditions, such as panic disorder and phobic anxiety, can both contribute to anxiety. Anxiety can have a number of negative consequences on your heart, such as tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, and slowed heart rate. - Protruding ankles, feet, and legs
Your legs and feet are the most frequently affected areas simply because of gravity when your heart is not functioning properly because fluid from your blood vessels spills into the nearby tissues. Peripheral edema is what it’s known as, and many people who have it don’t have heart problems. However, it is a very prevalent symptom among people with heart disease, so you should be very aware of it.
- Not feeling hungry and feeling queasy
Even after only a few bites of food, many heart disease patients exhibit a lack of appetite and/or nausea. The cause of that is an accumulation of fluid around the liver and intestines that prevents normal digestion. If you experience all of these symptoms at once, you should see a doctor very away because stomach pain frequently follows these symptoms.
- Skin rashes or odd growths
Eczema and shingles are high-risk factors for heart disease, according to 2 different studies published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It was discovered that people with eczema had a 48% chance of having high blood pressure and a 29% chance of having high cholesterol. In addition, shingles patients had a 59% increased risk of having a heart attack compared to those without the condition.
- Passing out or feeling dizzy
In individuals with heart disease, feeling dizzy and losing consciousness are fairly common. When the heart does not pump blood efficiently, it is because an artery is blocked or a valve has narrowed. Call an emergency medical team right away and ask to have your heart checked if you’ve ever experienced shortness of breath or fainting for a brief amount of time.
- Your complexion grows paler or turns bluish.
Although it is not one of the more frequent symptoms, when it develops, it is a result of decreased blood flow, a reduction in the amount of red blood cells, and may be an indication that your heart is not pumping blood as effectively as it could. The primary cause of this symptom is shock, and you may have pallor over your entire body or only in a particular body region, such a limb. If you do detect paleness, do not become alarmed. Check to see if you have shock or if there is another problem, such anemia.
Although not all heart disease patients have these symptoms, they are among the most typical red flags of the condition. Whether or not this post was helpful to you, please let us know in the comments area.
