Fatigue An Early Sign Of Heart Attack
Unusual fatigue and sleeplessness might be early warning signs of a heart attack in women, a study suggests. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, surveyed 515 women who had heart attacks and found that 95 percent had such symptoms as much as a month before they were stricken.
Chest pains can be early indicator of a heart attack, but 43 percent of the women in the study said they never experienced chest discomfort, said researcher Jean C. McSweeney.
The study is the first time researchers have identified fatigue and sleeplessness as possible early warning signs of a heart attack in women.
If we can get women to recognize the symptoms early, we can get them treatment and prevent or delay a heart attack, said McSweeney, a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Thats why the early symptoms are significant.
The researchers said they do not know whether the findings also apply to men, who tend to have somewhat different symptoms when a heart attack strikes.
InsertArtThe study surveyed women ages 29 to 97 who had been released four to six months earlier from five hospitals in Arkansas, North Carolina and Ohio after suffering a heart attack. They were shown a list of 70 symptoms they may have experienced during the months leading up the heart attack and were asked to rate them based on frequency and severity.
The women had more than just ordinary fatigue and sleeplessness.
What Causes Fatigue From Heart Failure
Fatigue affects patients with heart failurewith preserved ejection fraction but tends to be worse in those withheart failure with reduced ejection fraction . These patients dont getenough oxygen and blood going to the brain and muscles due to lower cardiacoutput. There are potential causes of fatigue in patients with heart failure,including:
- The beta-blockers usedto treat heart failure
- Poor exercise habits
What Is My Dizziness Telling Me
Dizziness isnt all created equal. It can cause you to feel off balance, light-headed, faint or like youre spinning, a condition known as vertigo. Dizziness itself isnt a disease, but its often a symptom of an underlying health issue that may or may not be serious.
Dizziness tells you something is going on with your body, says Dr. Yvette Pellegrino, a family medicine physician at Beaufort Memorial Ladys Island Internal Medicine. It can be associated with a sudden drop in blood pressure, motion sickness and inner ear infections. It can also be a side effect of a medication youre taking.
Other health issues associated with dizziness include the following:
- Multiple sclerosis
Getting to the root cause is important, especially if you experience dizziness frequently or it impacts your day-to-day activities. Always ask your doctor about dizziness associated with a medication. You should also see a doctor about dizziness if you experience a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, weakness, hearing loss or other unusual symptoms.
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Dont Ignore These 5 Signs Of Heart Valve Disease
12/10/2020
Do you ever get the sense that somethings just not right? Do you chalk it up to getting older? Aging naturally causes a lot of physical changes, so its tempting to write them off as you would the occasional wrinkle or gray hair.
Some of these changes, however, are warning signs of serious heart problems clogged coronary arteries, irregular heartbeat, heart valve damage or even heart failure yet they can easily be misattributed to stress, a sedentary lifestyle or weight gain. These five red flags should never be ignored, and are all caused by the same culprit:
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When To Go To The Hospital
You need to seek emergency treatment if you have any of these symptoms:
Chest Pain
Chest pain should always be considered a serious symptom because it can indicate an emergency situation. If you’re experiencing chest pain and any of these factors apply to you, you should seek emergency care:
- You have a strong family history of early heart disease.
- You’re 45 years old or older and you have any of the risk factors for coronary artery disease, including obesity, smoking, family history, diabetes, high cholesterol, or a sedentary lifestyle.
- The pain is worse than any other chest pain you’ve had.
- The pain feels like it’s spreading to your neck, shoulders, upper abdomen, arms, back, or jaws.
- The pain is crushing, tight, heavy, or feels like squeezing.
- You also feel nauseous, fatigued, weak, short of breath, dizzy, sweaty, or you’ve fainted.
- You feel like something is very wrong.
- The pain keeps getting worse as the minutes pass.
- The pain is unlike anything you’ve experienced before.
Heart Attack Symptoms
If you have symptoms of a heart attack, be sure to seek emergency medical care. These symptoms include:
- Chest or arm pain, pressure, or discomfort that may spread to your neck, back, or jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness and loss of coordination
- Difficulty breathing
If you’re with a loved one and suspect he or she is having a stroke, use these measures to help you determine if there’s a problem:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- Collapsing suddenly
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Reason : When + What You Eat Matters
Its no secret that heart failure can steal your appetite. The food choices you make, as well as your eating habits, can affect your energy level and quality of life.
Here, preventive cardiology dietitian , offers 8 tips for adopting a heart-healthy diet:
This article was adapted from Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor.
Traditional Understanding Of Heart Failure
Historically, heart failure was thought to be a disorder of its pumping function and the ejection fraction therefore, these became an important component and determinant of the condition. The increasing prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and the current lack of disease-modifying therapy for this group of patients raise the question again of whether we truly understand the mechanisms that drive the entire spectrum of the heart failure syndrome. How can all the different described types of heart failure be linked up to create a spectrum and a story that is easily understandable? Can we link the relationship of the core mechanism of heart failure with EF and then with the types of HF such as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction , HFPEF or even with the old classification of high-output, low-output, forward and backward failure, right and left heart failure? Unless we progress further in answering these questions, discovering treatment for the entire heart failure population will be difficult.
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The Relationship Between Fatigue And Cardiac Functioning
Copyright and License informationDisclaimerStudy concept and design:Acquisition of data:Analysis and interpretation of data:Drafting of the manuscript:Statistical analysis:Obtained funding:Administrative, technical, and material support:Study supervision:Additional Contributions:Correspondence:Arch Intern Med
Tired Fatigue May Signal Heart Problems In Women
If youre in need of a long nap or a jolt of caffeine, youre not alone. A survey by the National Safety Council found that 76% of Americans say they feel tired at work. Of those, 43% say they dont get enough sleep to drive or perform their jobs safely. Another survey, by the staffing firm Accountemps, ranks Dallas as having the 8th sleepiest workers in the nation. We dont need surveys to tell us were tired. But we do wonder if were too tired if something more is going on.
A lot of womenas well as mentend to overlook their fatigue, chalking it up to aging, overscheduling or a variety of fill-in-the-blank reasons. They hesitate to mention it to their doctors, but they should. Here’s why.
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Warning Signs And Symptoms Of Heart Disease
Heart disease often develops over time. You may have early signs or symptoms long before you have serious heart problems. Or, you may not realize you are developing heart disease. The warning signs of heart disease may not be obvious. Also, not every person has the same symptoms.
Certain symptoms, such as chest pain, ankle swelling, and shortness of breath may be signals that something is wrong. Learning the warning signs can help you get treatment and help prevent a heart attack or stroke.
How Can You Reduce Fatigue From Heart Failure
Even though heart failure is a condition thatprogressively worsens, there are things that you can do to help reduce fatigue.Making a few lifestyle changes can help give you more energy during the day.With your doctors approval, try the following:
- Eat heart-healthyfoods.Put simply, eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, andlegumes. Try to avoid sugars, trans fats, and alcohol.
- Start exercising. First, talk with yourdoctor and determine a plan that works for you. Start slowly, even if it meansnot sitting down as much or going on short, five-minute walks.
- Take a nap. The American HeartAssociation recommends taking short naps when youre feeling too tired. Thesesmall breaks can restore your energy and give your heart a rest.
- Take care of yourmental health.Theres a big link between mental health and heart health. Make sure to treatany depression, anxiety, or stress you may be experiencing. Chances are itllalso help youll sleep better, which will give you more energy during the day.Also, consider yoga and meditation.
- Get better sleep. Always try to get a good nights sleep. Go tobed early. Avoid looking at your phone while in bed, which can keep you upbecause of the light, and keep your room at a cool temperature.
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What Is Pots And Why Does It Cause Fatigue
POTS is a group of symptoms resulting from dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This branch of the nervous system regulates functions we dont consciously control like sweating and blood circulation.
In people with POTS, more blood collects in the lower body when standing upright. The heart beats faster to pump it up to the brain, but with little success. The causes of POTS are unknown, but the problem is thought to lie in the communication breakdown between the brain and the cardiovascular system.
POTS-related fatigue is physical in nature and the mechanism behind it is not fully understood. It may have several causes, including your body working harder to move the blood.
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Heart Disease Warning Signs
Heart symptoms may not always be explicit so do not ignore any potential cardiac warning signs. What are the warning signs of heart disease? Some warning signs not to ignore include: shortness of breath, heartburn, muscle soreness, painful hiccups, neck or upper back pain, or other symptoms discussed in this slide show. People with known heart disease or significant risk factors such as people over age 65, strong family history of heart disease, obesity, smokers, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes should pay extra attention to any possible cardiac symptoms.
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Top Warning Signs That You May Have Heart Problems
Does heart disease run in your family? Do you have a history of eating unhealthy foods and exercising only intermittently? Are you worried that you might be at risk for experiencing heart problems? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then continue reading to discover the warning signs of heart problems so that you can stop problems where they start or even before they begin. If you are ready to change some unhealthy habits now in the service of helping your heart be the healthiest it can be, then lets get started with learning about these major warning signs.
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Warning Signs Of A Heart Attack
Not all heart attacks are alike
Did you know that you can have a heart attack without feeling any chest pain? Heart failure and heart disease dont show the same signs for everyone, especially women.
The heart is a muscle that contracts to pump blood throughout the body. A heart attack occurs when the heart muscle doesnt get enough blood. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. When there isnt enough blood flowing to your heart muscle, the affected part can get damaged or die. This is dangerous and sometimes deadly.
Heart attacks happen suddenly, but they normally result from long-standing heart disease. Typically, a waxy plaque builds up on the walls inside your blood vessels that feed the heart muscle. Sometimes a chunk of the plaque, called a blood clot, breaks off and prevents blood from passing through the vessel to your heart muscle, resulting in a heart attack.
Less commonly, something like stress, physical exertion, or cold weather causes the blood vessel to contract or spasm, which decreases the amount of blood that can get to your heart muscle.
There are many risk factors that contribute to having a heart attack, including:
A heart attack is a medical emergency. Its really important to listen to what your body is telling you if you think you might be having one. Its better to seek emergency medical treatment and be wrong than to not get help when youre having a heart attack.
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High Blood Pressure And Fatigue
High blood pressure can make your heart work harder and increase your risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. either have high blood pressure or take medications to treat it. Your risk for high blood pressure increases with age.
High blood pressure is another condition that may make you feel extremely tired. Though high blood pressure is often called a silent killer, because it often doesnt cause any symptoms, some people do feel extreme fatigue. Some signs you might have high blood pressure include fatigue, lightheadedness, feeling weak, and shortness of breath.
Also, you can also feel extremely tired due to heart conditions that may be caused by high blood pressure. For example, high blood pressure can lead to coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure, and enlarged heart, all of which may cause fatigue.
When you come in for a health assessment from our womens health care providers, we screen for many different conditions to help find underlying causes of your symptoms. We check your blood pressure and can help you find treatment solutions to reduce your blood pressure and the serious risks associated with it.
Fatigue May Be A Warning Symptom Of Heart Attack In Women
Men tend to get the classic symptoms of a heart attack. Think crushing chest pain and tightness, and shortness of breath. Women, on the other hand, often experience more vague symptoms that they may not associate with a heart attack. These symptoms include fatigue and trouble sleeping.
In fact, in astudyof women who had heart attacks, unexplained fatigue occurred in some 70% of the cases, making it the most common symptom. Its easy to chalk up symptoms of fatigue to stress, but its important not to ignore symptoms of unusual fatigue.
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Vomiting Or Stomach Pain
If a patient experiences intense stomach pains, and they begin to feel nauseated or begin to vomit, this could be an early warning sign of an impending heart attack. Statistics indicate that women are more likely to experience vomiting, indigestion and stomach pain as precursors to a heart attack, however, men can experience these symptoms as well. The one essential thing the patient should do is to keep a mental record or to document all of the symptoms they are experiencing so they can alert medical professionals of these symptoms in case it is early warning signs of a heart attack, and not a stomach virus. Specifically, if an individual vomits and experiences consistent chest pain that lasts for a few minutes or more, they may very well be experiencing a heart attack. In this case, the patient should call 9-1-1 immediately to get emergency help and follow the operators instructions. In the event of a heart attack, every second counts between life and death.
When Youre Tired Of Being Tired
If fatigue is affecting your quality of life, its time to talk to your doctor. Tracking your daily sleep and activity levels can help you present him or her with a better overall picture of your condition, especially if your symptoms are vague. If you donât have a fitness or smartwatch, consider downloading a phone app like Sharecare, available for iOS and Android.
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