January and February are usually recorded as the two coldest months of the year. During these two months, the days may be longer, but the weather is only getting colder and the skies grayer. It is a bad time for people’s mental as well as physical health. Cold weather is also when our body has to work overtime to keep warm and protect the body.
However, symptoms of a common illness, the flu, can indicate something a little more serious.
Have you ever heard of a silent heart attack?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a heart attack is silent “when it has no symptoms, mild symptoms, or symptoms that people have nothing to do with a heart attack.”
According to the clinic, these symptoms can be similar to those of the flu.
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Symptoms of a silent heart attack include:
• Muscle pain in your chest or upper back
• Pain in your jaw, arm, or upper back.
• You are very tired
• You have indigestion.
For comparison, the NHS lists flu symptoms as follows:
• Sudden high temperature of 38°C or higher
• Body aches
• Feeling tired and exhausted
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Diarrhea or abdominal pain
• Feeling nauseous or vomiting.
DO NOT MISS
Because the symptoms of a silent heart attack are different from those of a traditional heart attack, many people may not realize they have had one.
Any heart attack is an emergency situation and so it is important to act quickly.
Symptoms of the more common form of heart attack may include chest pain, pain in other parts of the body, feeling light-headed or dizzy, sweating, trouble breathing, nausea, vomiting, feeling dizzy. anxiety and coughing or wheezing.
Your treatment will depend on the severity of your heart attack.
If you have the most serious type, high-segmentation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the NHS says this requires urgent treatment and potential medication to clear up blockages in your arteries.
If your symptoms started within the last 12 hours, you may be offered primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
In PCI, the arteries are widened.
If they start within 12 hours but you can’t get a PCI, you may be given medicine to break up blood clots around your heart.
However, if your symptoms started more than 12 hours ago, you may be offered a combination of medications, computers, or bypass surgery.
There are three main risk factors for reducing your risk of having a heart attack.
They are eating healthy and balanced, not smoking, and keeping your blood pressure under control so it doesn’t get too high.
If you have any questions or concerns about heart attacks, consult the NHS or your GP.
Source: | This article first appeared on Express.co.uk
