Women tend not to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack quickly.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — A heart attack is an emergency when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked. The most obvious warning sign is excruciating chest pain, but there are atypical symptoms that can appear months, even years, before having a heart attack.
“For some people, symptoms of heart attack it can be months or even longer before a heart attack occurs,” explains Sutter Zi-Jian Xu, a cardiologist at the Sutter Health network. ExpressSaturday (25/6/2022).
According to doctors, most patients experience rather typical symptoms, such as radiating chest pain, heaviness or discomfort, heart palpitations, cold sweats, and shortness of breath. However, most patients especially women experience many unusual symptoms.
These symptoms include fatigue, a general feeling of discomfort, unexplained discomfort, back or stomach pain, and decreased stamina.
“Both types of symptoms can be experienced months before the actual heart attack occurs,” explains Dr Xu.
Then how to respond to a heart attack? The British Heart Foundation (BHF) advises anyone with symptoms to call an ambulance immediately while trying to sit up and remain calm. Then, if a 300 mg aspirin is within reach, you can take it while waiting for paramedics to act.
Research also shows that women are less likely to recognize heart attack symptoms quickly. In the UK, an average of three women die of coronary heart disease every hour, many of them from heart attacks.
Meanwhile, one way to reduce the risk of heart attack is to change a healthy lifestyle. According to the British United Provident Association (BUPA), patients should engage in regular physical activity, at least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate-intensity exercise during the week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.
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