Ambiguous symptoms make women subjective
After the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, sweating, or dizziness are often attributed to flu or stress. However, according to Dr. Kaushal Chhatrapati - an interventional cardiologist in Mumbai, India, this may also be a sign of silent myocardial infarction, especially in women.
The first sign is jaw pain, usually on the left side, simmering and easily mistaken for grinding teeth or stress. The American Heart Association warns that many women record jaw discomfort before heart events occur.
Second is prolonged fatigue of unknown cause. According to Harvard Medical Journal, abnormal exhaustion can appear weeks or months before a heart attack.
Three is shortness of breath, even when resting or doing light exercise. Professor Martha Gulati - Head of Preventive Cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, USA - said that women with myocardial infarction often do not have typical chest pain that manifests in shortness of breath, nausea or exhaustion.
Early identification to avoid dangerous complications
The fourth sign is sudden cold sweating, especially when accompanied by nausea or dizziness. This may be the body's reaction when the heart is not pumping enough blood.
Finally, dizziness or lightheadedness. This symptom is easily thought of as dehydration or lack of sleep, but may actually reflect a decrease in blood flow to the brain due to coronary artery blockage.
According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular disease causes about one-third of global deaths each year. Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, but many people still do not recognize the symptoms correctly.
Experts recommend that if unexplained jaw pain appears, abnormal fatigue, shortness of breath, cold sweats or prolonged dizziness, patients need to go to a medical facility early. Listening to the body and timely examination can save one's own life.
