7 symptoms of a heart attack that can strike exactly a month before
Research found that 95 per cent of patients who suffered a heart attack reported these unusual symptoms in the month before the medical emergency - by Terri-Ann Williams – The Sun
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency and the symptoms usually come on fast.
The main signs are mostly chest pains and feeling light-headed or dizzy, guidance from the UK’s National Health Service says.
However, research has shown that there are seven symptoms that could strike a month before a deadly attack, The Sun reports.
Writing in the journal Circulation, medics found that less than a third of women report chest discomfort before the attack.
Experts at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found that 95 per cent of participants had unusual symptoms more than one month before their heart attacks and that these resolved after the event.
The most common seven symptoms were:
1. Sleep disturbance (48 per cent)
2. Shortness of breath (42 per cent)
3. Indigestion (39 per cent)
4. Anxiety (35.5 per cent)
5. Heavy/weak arms or legs (24.9 per cent)
6. Changes in thinking (23.9 per cent)
7. Loss of appetite (21.9 per cent)
Speaking to The Sun, one expert said there are a whole host of other symptoms that people might suffer.
Dr Anushka Patchava, deputy chief medical officer for UK-based insurance company, Vitality explained that usual symptoms include chest pain, chest tightness, chest heaviness – which could suggest your heart muscle is not receiving enough oxygenated blood.
There may also be pain or weakness in our legs and arms – again, due to reduced circulation, the expert said.
She added: “Other symptoms of cardiovascular disease might be breathlessness, heart palpitations (when someone can feel their heartbeat).
“This can lead to anxiety, hot sweats and dizziness and feeling faint, as well as tiredness. All signs that the body is not getting enough oxygen.