Among other causes of death among our compatriots, traditionally the leading place belongs to heart diseases and vascular pathologies. Of the most terrible diagnoses signaling an extremely high danger to the patient’s health, heart attack should be noted. The symptoms of this violation should be known to any modern person, in order to urgently seek medical help as necessary.
General view
Only 20 minutes after the initial attack, irreversible changes occur in the heart muscle. The probability of a fatal outcome with such a pathology is extremely high, especially if the lesion is not the first. To prevent a negative outcome, you need to be able to identify a heart attack in time and seek qualified help. And for this you need to not only imagine what the first symptoms are, signs of a heart attack, but also understand what kind of condition this term is used to denote.
A heart attack is called the death of muscle tissue of the main organ of the human body - the heart. The process is initiated by a lack of oxygen, which is often caused by a sudden narrowing of the arteries supplying life-giving blood, and with it the components necessary for vital functions at the cellular level. The condition usually develops against a background of cardiac ischemia. For this to happen, not necessarily the influence of an external factor, the cause of a heart attack can be the most simple, everyday actions. In particular, medical statistics show that the likelihood of such a course of the disease in the morning is higher, when a person wakes up after a long night's rest, gets up. This load is already sufficient for a critical condition. An even greater risk is associated with stressful situations, sudden and unusual, excessively strong physical, mental stress.
Identify the enemy immediately
The primary sign, a symptom of a heart attack is a pain syndrome localized behind the sternum. Often, feelings are given in the leg, arm on the left side of the body. May hurt under the shoulder blade. The sensations themselves differ in different patients: some note a burning sensation, others - squeezing, and someone seems to burst. The syndrome is accompanied by anxiety, groundless fear, concern. Without realizing this report, reflexively a man grabs his heart.
Other symptoms vary significantly. Much depends on the characteristics of the body, as well as on the gender of the patient. In particular, the symptoms of a heart attack in a man are usually more pronounced, while in the weaker sex they are smoothed. You can suspect a dangerous condition due to pallor of the skin, lack of air, similar to an asthmatic attack. Sweating is activated, the heart rate goes astray, the stomach hurts. Often a heart attack is accompanied by vomiting, loss of balance. Symptoms similar to a stroke are possible. To determine the exact diagnosis, you should urgently seek medical help. The doctor takes ECG readings, which will accurately determine what happened and what kind of rehabilitation therapy is needed.
What to do
Having noticed in a person near the signs, symptoms of a heart attack, it is necessary to provide basic assistance. First, they help to take a half-sitting position, while at the same time causing emergency medical care. Only rehabilitation measures in intensive care will bring real benefits, so the main task of others is to support human strength until the arrival of specialists. If the clothes are uncomfortable, tight, you need to unfasten your wardrobe items. If possible, open windows and windows to maximize the flow of fresh air. At the same time, pressure indicators are checked. At parameters above the norm, nitroglycerin is given for chewing. In the absence of a positive effect, after five minutes, the medication is repeated. More than three servings should not be used.
Continuing to help with the first symptoms of a heart attack, aspirin should be given for chewing. If systole is less than 110 mm, the patient does not need medication at all. The task of others is to reassure the patient, and as doctors arrive, to describe in detail how and when the attack occurred, what were before and immediately after the person’s complaint, what measures were taken, what medications and at what dosage were used.
How to protect yourself?
In order not to survive the first symptoms of a heart attack, you should lead a healthy lifestyle, practice preventive measures. In general, at risk are people whose age is 50 years or older. The likelihood of such a development of events is greater if there are survivors of a heart attack among close relatives. In men, cases of heart disease have been recorded more often lately at the age of 35 years and older. A significant risk is associated with abuse of bad habits, especially with smoking and alcohol. The likelihood of a heart attack increases if a person is concerned about pressure above normal, weight is more than average. At risk, those who are forced to lead an inactive lifestyle, practice malnutrition.
According to doctors, age, heredity, gender are factors that cannot be changed, so it does not seem realistic to reduce the risks. But to adjust the lifestyle so as not to become familiar with the first symptoms of a heart attack by own example - a measure that any modern person can take. Of course, prevention is not to everyone's taste, but it is definitely more positive than serious heart disease.
About symptoms: what else is worth saying?
Often the symptoms of a heart attack in women and men include pain in the entire upper half of the body. In most cases, the pain gives only to the left arm, but less often this is observed in both hands, back and neck. A heart attack sometimes manifests itself as a false toothache, the jaw suffers. Sensations may bother just above the navel. At the same time, shortness of breath develops. Such cases are known when this particular manifestation of a heart attack was the only one that the patient noticed. Sometimes shortness of breath is first recorded, only after that comes pain.
The first symptoms of a heart attack in a woman often include severe fatigue for no apparent reason. Medicine knows many cases of a hidden course, when in addition to such a manifestation, there were no others. An unpleasant state worries for several days in a row. May be dizzy. Typical symptoms are manifested not in every patient. More often along an unpredictable path, development occurs in women, which is due to the characteristics of the hormonal system.
Official information
The first symptoms of a heart attack in men and women described earlier make it possible to suspect that a lesion appeared in the heart muscle affected by a necrotic process. This leads to an acute blood flow problem. Adequate assistance to the patient can only be specialists in intensive care. In the absence of qualified support, a high probability of death. At the same time, there are many cases where the heart attack was completely asymptomatic, and was detected only years later when the patient underwent a planned medical examination.
Heart attack is a term coined in 1896. The clinic of the disease was described in 1892. According to statistics, symptoms of myocardial infarction in women and men are more often observed at the age of 40-60. The danger to men is five times greater than for the opposite sex. People atherosclerosis are considered to be at risk. For the age interval of 55-60 years, the frequency of heart attack for both sexes is equalized. Menopause is associated with an adjustment in blood levels of estrogen. Lowering the amount of this compound leads to an increased risk of heart disease. Also, medical statistics show that with a lower frequency of heart attacks, on average, such situations are more difficult for women, the probability of death is greater. But men suffer necrosis of the focus of the heart muscle somewhat easier - although everything is determined by individual conditions.
Risks and statistics
It is known that heart attack symptoms are more likely to occur in residents of large cities. To a greater extent, this trend is characteristic of developed countries. Irreversible changes occur if the heart muscle does not receive oxygen within 20 minutes. The cells die, instead of them, during rehabilitation, connective tissue appears - if the patient survives. According to the results of a heart attack, the heart is scarred, which negatively affects the functioning of the muscle. The stronger the lesion, the worse the consequences. With a repeated heart attack, they will be even more unpleasant.
Up to a third of all cases of heart attack symptoms result in the death of the patient. Among all sudden deaths, a heart attack is a fifth. In just 24 hours, as American doctors have revealed, within the United States a heart attack causes the death of 140 people. In 52% of cases of fatal outcomes, the victims were women, the other share (a little less than half) was attributable to the stronger sex.
Periods and Dangers
With the initial signs of a heart attack until the time of hospitalization, the risk of death is especially great. Studies have shown that one fifth of all deaths occur precisely in this period. A little less, up to 15% of patients die already in a hospital setting. The greatest risks are associated with the first two days after the acute phase of the disease. To increase the likelihood of patient survival, resuscitation measures should be taken in a timely manner and qualified medical support should be provided.
If there are symptoms of myocardial infarction in a man, a woman, but medical care was provided in a timely manner, perfusion returned to normal within the first five hours of the incident, it is likely that the scar will form relatively small. The contractility of the ventricle of the heart increases on the left, the likelihood of complications of the situation is reduced. The best prognosis for those patients who have perfusion restored within the first two hours from the acute phase.
Where did the trouble come from?
In order not to encounter the first signs, symptoms of a heart attack in women, men (manifestations are already described above), one should be guided by the causes of the disease, in order to exclude them (to the best of their abilities and capabilities) from their lives. Up to 95% of all cases are triggered by arterial occlusion caused by a thrombus, and this, in turn, is due to atherosclerosis. In fact, a heart attack is acute ischemia. The situation is complicated by a high level of blood viscosity, which is characteristic of most people suffering from this disease.
In addition to ischemia, such a condition can provoke arterial defects, blockage by blood clots, inflammatory processes in the circulatory system, if they cover the vessels supplying the heart muscle. A high probability of a heart attack with Buerger’s disease, aneurysm, and malfunctioning of the vascular endothelium. ICE syndrome and tumor processes can provoke necrosis of heart tissue. The neoplasm dies or grows to such a size that it compresses the surrounding tissues and organs, leading to blockage of the vessel. A tumor outside the heart can cause a heart attack during germination, metastasis, when arteries suffer. A certain risk is associated with injuries, electric shock, surgical interventions on the heart. Diabetes, overweight, high blood pressure, bad habits can provoke necrosis.
Women and men: there is a difference
In the general case, the representatives of the stronger sex have more clear symptoms, but in women it is blurry. Up to 43% of all patients did not notice manifestations signaling the possibility of a heart attack before the onset of the acute phase, in other cases, the situation is predictable by angina in an unstable form.
Many women, for the first time experiencing a heart attack, confuse it with the flu or overwork in the extreme degree. Since patients complain insufficiently, doctors make the wrong diagnosis, incorrectly assess the condition, recommend spending some time at home, in bed, and then return to the usual rhythm of life. It is known that 95% of all women who have had a heart attack have previously noted health problems. The average duration of the pre-infarction period is estimated per month, although sometimes it is only a few days, and in other cases it is years and decades.
Symptoms: how to suspect the approach of a heart attack?
The pre-infarction period in the overwhelming majority of cases is marked by increased fatigue - up to 70.7% of patients complained about this. Even a long night's rest does not allow to restore strength. A person feels exhausted, weak, lacking strength even to solve sowing problems. The situation does not get better with time, weakness takes a chronic form. Almost half of all patients noted problems with sleep - falling asleep is difficult, frequent night awakenings. Any load is accompanied by shortness of breath, but breathing returns to normal if you give the body a rest.
About a third of all patients complained that in the pre-infarction period they were disturbed by discomfort, pain in the chest area. Sensations are similar to muscle stretching, sometimes given to the shoulder, jaw, neck, arm on the left. Perhaps numbness of the limbs, tingling. Often a headache, flies may flicker before your eyes. The patient is prone to mood swings, worried for no apparent reason. It is possible to suggest an approaching heart attack in such conditions if they are accompanied by gastric discomfort, vomiting, and nausea. The skin is noticeably pale, sometimes throws into a cold sweat.
The strong half: the approach of trouble
Surveys have shown that the pre-infarction state in men is usually expressed by pain in the chest area, but earlier and more lubricated symptoms are usually absent. However, as the doctors assure, in fact there are such, just many do not pay attention to them, do not notice. This fact is curious: with a heart attack, men often suffer from severe pain, but many women do not experience it at all. Respiratory problems are also more characteristic of the strong half of humanity.
Typical and atypical cases
The classic version involves four phrases. First, an acute phase develops, accompanied by pain coming in waves. The duration of the attack varies from 30 minutes to several days. The use of nitroglycerin does not show a positive effect, the condition is accompanied by severe fear, excitement. Pain causes apathy, weakness. Shortness of breath occurs. For the most acute comes the acute phase, when the pain weakens or disappears altogether. At this point, there is a likelihood of the formation of pericardia, ischemia, close to the affected area. There is a fever, the fever lasts ten days, sometimes longer. The temperature is higher, the larger the area of the heart affected. Symptoms of insufficient functioning of the heart muscle, hypotension are observed. If the patient survives, the temperature gradually drops, the pains go away, and his health becomes better.
All the described manifestations are more characteristic of men, but for women, an atypical, blurry form similar to the flu is characteristic. The most acute phase is accompanied by chest pains, but the intensity is relatively weak, so they do not attach special importance to it.