Manifestations of a heart attack
Often, every day your heart hurts because of an impending heart attack. This illness is an acute lack of nutrition (ischemia) that causes myocardial necrosis (heart attack). Usually doctors, when asked why the heart hurts because of a heart attack, talk about a gradual blockage of the arteries or a detached blood clot which has blocked one of the main vessels. Atherosclerosis, excessive physical activity, constant stress, etc. influence the development of this process. Patients begin to manifest their heart pain as early as 1-2 months before the attack. However, in some cases, such as when a blood clot breaks off, the disease develops quickly.
Signs of heart pain before and during an attack are usually as follows:
- Squeezing pain. During an attack, it is difficult to know where and how the heart hurts, because the pain radiates to the back, upper extremity, neck area, and jaw. It spreads mainly to the left side of the body. Accompanying heart pain is increased sweating, vomiting, and constant shortness of breath.
- Heart pain due to exertion. The patient may feel discomfort after prolonged physical or mental work. His heart pains go away only after he rests or takes a tablet of Nitroglycerin.
- Shortness of breath. It often occurs when there is pain in the heart which is a sign that an attack is imminent. Dyspnea accompanies the patient virtually all the time, for example, when lying down Dyspnea often comes on during heart pain at bedtime, at meals, and after exertion. Immediately before the attack, the patient has heart trouble at night, which makes him constantly suffer from insomnia.
- Rapid fatigue. When the heart hurts before a heart attack, the patient gradually begins to feel a general weakness. His usual activities take more energy than before.
- Impotence. If a man has heart pain due to a gradual blockage of the arteries that feed the heart, he has a problem with erection. It can manifest itself 1-2 years before the attack.
- Swelling. This sign is the main one for people who want to know how to determine heart pain. The most noticeable swelling, indicative of heart muscle abnormalities, is on the legs.
- Heart pain in the morning. Developing myocardial ischemia is often accompanied by this symptom. Sometimes the patient has high blood pressure in this case.
- Apnea. A patient may be disturbed by the heart at night, and it manifests itself in the form of short-term respiratory stoppages.
If you have suspicions, it is better to contact your doctor. He will tell you how to distinguish pain in the heart during an attack from other pathological processes and advise you on methods to help relieve discomfort.