The Signs of Heart Disease
Heart disease is one of the most common problems that people over 50 (and even younger) suffer from in the US. If you are feeling chest pain or having tightness in your chest, trouble breathing or other similar symptoms you need to see a doctor immediately. Those symptoms do not necessarily mean that you are having a heart attack, it could be merely indigestion or you could have eaten something spicy that gave you heartburn. However, if problems persist or you are not sure what is wrong with you, err on the safe side and seek medical attention.
Some common symptoms include:
- Trouble breathing
- Mutliple shallow breaths where it’s hard to inhale deeply
- Unnecessary sweating and sticky palms
- Sick to your stomach
- Rapid or acclerating heartbeat
- Discomfort in your chest area
- Tightness in your arms, shoulder and/or chest
It can’t be emphasized enough that if you think you might be having a heart attack, every second counts and you should dial 911 immediately. At a minimum, if you are unsure try to contact your doctor and describe your symptoms and get their professional counsel. You don’t want to end up having a stroke and losing control of your arms, legs or other parts because oxygen was cut off for a prolonged period of time.
Heart Disease can be caused by poor diet, lack of exercise and/or a pre-existing heriditary condition. If you know you are predisposed to heart problems, you should get regular checkups and monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels closely. Anytime you see your signs getting out of the normal range you need to ask for help - there may be drugs you can go on or lifestyle changes you can make to fix the problems.
If you are overweight you are at a higher risk of having heart problems. Your heart is a muscle and if you weigh more it makes the heart work overtime to pump blood to all parts of the body. This puts a tremendous strain on your heart and cause you to have a heart attack or at least experience many of the symptoms above. Lowering your weight can reduce your risk of heart disease - it’s important you do what you can to reduce your risk.