Is it a Heart Attack? Know the Signs

Even though heart attacks are a well-known medical emergency, are you sure you could identify all the signs if you saw them? You may be surprised to know there are at least 10 common signs of heart attack (also called myocardial infarction).

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with someone having a heart attack every 40 seconds, and 805,000 people suffering one each year. Of these, 605,000 are first-time heart attacks. 1

As people age, the heart experiences strain and wear over time, just like any part of the body. Also, older adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions that contribute to heart disease, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

Along with working with your doctor to take steps to reduce your risk of heart attack, it is important that you know your personal risk level for having one, and how to spot the signs when a heart attack is happening. By being informed, you could save your own life or the life of a loved one.

What exactly is a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when major blood vessels supplying the heart with blood and oxygen become blocked. This can happen because of narrowing due to a buildup of fat and cholesterol in the vessel (called plaques), or because of a blood clot that develops. When blood flow is blocked to the heart, part of the heart muscle starts to die. Untreated, this can lead to death- it is an emergency.

Risk factors for heart attack

Age by itself is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (the buildup of plaques in blood vessels). The American Heart Association states that adults aged 65 and older are at the highest risk of dying from coronary heart disease. 2 Being male, and certain hereditary traits can increase the risk as well. These risk factors can’t be changed, but there are several that can:

Smoking
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Being overweight or obese
Lack of exercise
Stress
Uncontrolled diabetes
Poor diet
Alcohol abuse

How to figure out your risk score

If you’ve never had a heart attack, your doctor can use a risk calculator to use your unique factors to calculate your 10-year risk of experiencing a heart attack.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has developed a calculator known as the ASCVD (Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease) Risk Calculator. 3 A similar calculator for layperson use was developed by the ACC and the American Heart Association (AHA), called the AHA Cardiovascular Risk Calculator. 4

These calculators use values like cholesterol level, age, smoking status, high blood pressure, and others to determine a risk score.

Preventing heart attacks

It’s easy to see some strategies for reducing your risk of heart attack by looking at the list of risk factors mentioned above. Some specific approaches you can take include:

Improve your diet- according to the AHA and ACC, the Mediterranean diet (high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fish) is a good choice, as is reducing saturated fats. 5

Stop smoking, if you smoke- within just five years of quitting, the risk of cardiovascular disease is decreased by 39%. 6

Get regular exercise- the U.S. Surgeon General recommends 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week. Talk to your doctor about the best plan for you.

Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol- both exercise and diet can improve these measurements, and your doctor may recommend medications as well to help control any problems.

Manage diabetes, if you have it- talk to your doctor about your A1C numbers, a blood test that helps show how well your diabetes is controlled over time.

Reduce stress- because stress can increase blood pressure and has been found to be tied to cardiovascular disease, taking steps to reduce stress can have a positive effect on your risk of a heart attack. This includes getting a good night’s sleep every night.

Avoid alcohol- the AHA recommends that men should limit alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per day, and women should limit consumption to no more than one drink. 7

Signs and symptoms of heart attack

People can have significant symptoms that a heart attack is happening, or mild symptoms. In some cases, there may not even be any symptoms at all. The most serious symptom of heart attack is sudden cardiac death. Other common symptoms include:

Angina- a feeling of squeezing, pressure, burning, tightness, aching, or fullness in the chest
Angina pain or pressure can be under the breastbone, in the throat, jaw, back or shoulders, left arm, or upper abdomen. It does not have to be in the chest.
Pain or pressure that worsens with physical activity
Dizziness or fainting
Heartburn
Nausea or vomiting
Irregular or racing heartbeat
Sweating
Sudden shortness of breath
Restlessness, anxiety, or a “feeling of doom”

Heart attack symptoms in women

It’s important to know that for women, it is more common to have heart attack symptoms that don’t fit the classic description of “chest pain or pressure.” Women may not have any symptoms at all, or they may have abdominal discomfort, nausea or vomiting, back pain, shoulder pain, jaw pain, or shortness of breath.

Time is muscle

The most important thing to remember is that if you have any new symptom that is bothering you, you should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Heart attacks are not always dramatic and intense, and they don’t always mean a person’s chest will hurt.

It is far better to find out it’s not a heart attack than to ignore a heart attack that is happening. This is because time is muscle. The part of the heart that doesn’t get enough oxygen during a heart attack is permanently damaged. If hours go by before the blockage is fixed, that area of heart muscle may never recover. This can lead to dangerous problems with abnormal heart rhythms and long-term heart issues like heart failure.

Treating a heart attack

To determine whether a heart attack is happening, medical personnel will use a combination of tests. The first test done in the emergency room (or in the ambulance) is called an electrocardiogram or ECG. Using sensors attached to wires, your heart’s electrical activity is recorded. In a heart attack, this electrical activity is disrupted and can be seen on the test.

Along with an ECG, blood tests can be checked to look for certain markers of heart damage that may be happening.

If a heart attack is detected, emergency treatment is provided to remove the blockage causing the attack. Clot-dissolving medications may be used, and a procedure called cardiac catheterization can be performed. In this procedure, also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), stenting of the blood vessels can be done to relieve the blockage.

In other cases, a surgical procedure called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) may be done to fix the blockage. With a CABG, blood vessels are taken from another part of the body and grafted to the blocked blood vessel in the heart, allowing blood to bypass the blockage.

After a heart attack

The American Heart Association has found that 1 in 5 people will experience a second heart attack within 5 years of their first. 8 If you’ve had your first heart attack, it’s important to work with your doctor to take steps to prevent another- each heart attack further damages sections of heart muscle.

Your doctor may recommend these treatments:

Medication- many people who have a history of heart attack are prescribed aspirin daily, or another blood thinning medication to help reduce the risk of clots. Cholesterol-lowering medication and medication to help with heart function, like beta blockers, may also be prescribed. It’s important to take medications as prescribed.

Cardiac rehab- this is a medically supervised exercise program, in an outpatient clinic setting. Patients exercise several times a week, for an average of 3 months, to help strengthen heart muscle. The AHA reports that cardiac rehab reduces the risk of a repeat heart attack by 47%. 9

Follow other preventative steps- the measures discussed above, including a healthy diet, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol, etc. are still important to follow if you’ve had a heart attack.

Knowledge is power when it comes to heart attacks

Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack and acting promptly if you suspect you are having one could save your life. Along with these emergency measures, prevention is an important potentially life-saving strategy as well.

When it comes to preventing or treating coronary heart disease and heart attacks, having family support can be an important part of staying healthy. Both family and professional caregivers can help an older adult get to regular doctor’s appointments, keep track of medications, remember to ask important questions during visits, and participate in activities like cardiac rehab and a healthy lifestyle.

If you need extra support for an older adult to help with these strategies, Caresify’s home care can offer you solutions for maintaining a healthier, happier life. You can read more here, or call 888-799-5007.

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