According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 610,000 people die from heart-related problems each year in the United States alone. Both men and women suffer from heart disease for a variety of reasons related to certain lifestyles. However, there are many signs and warnings that inform us of heart problems that we should know about firsthand.
Bright Side has put together 8 very common warning signs of heart disease that you should pay attention to if you notice them. If you’d like to read the other 8 common warning signs, click here.
- pain spreading to the arm
Many men experience pain in their left arm, while women experience the same pain in one or both arms. Some women also report experiencing unusual pain in the elbow before a heart attack. This is because the pain from the heart spreads to the spinal cord, where many of the nerves in the body are connected, and the brain gets confused and thinks the arm really hurts, although it does not.
- Cough that won’t stop
Coughing can be the result of various problems and can also be a sign of cardiovascular disease. A persistent cough with a discharge of pinkish fluid containing blood is very common in heart failure. However, the cough is a subsymptom of a much more serious symptom, which is shortness of breath and sudden loss of breath.
- Extreme and unusual levels of anxiety
Several studies have shown that people who suffer from severe anxiety from a very young age are prone to heart disease. Anxiety can either be caused by a very stressful lifestyle or by a variety of disorders, including panic disorder and phobic anxiety. Some of the effects of anxiety on the heart include tachycardia, increased blood pressure and decreased heart rate.
- swollen feet, ankles and legs
When the heart is not working well, fluid from the blood vessels seeps into the surrounding tissues, and the feet and legs are the most common places to suffer simply because of the force of gravity. This is called peripheral edema, and many people who suffer from it do not have heart disease. Nevertheless, it is a very common symptom among patients with heart disease, and you should pay close attention to it.
- Lack of appetite and feelings of nausea
Many patients with heart disease have a lack of appetite and/or nausea, even if they have only eaten a few bites of food. This is caused by fluid accumulation around the liver and intestines, preventing normal digestion. These symptoms are usually accompanied by abdominal pain, and if you are experiencing all of these symptoms together, you should see your doctor immediately.
- Skin rashes or unusual spots
Two separate studies published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that eczema and shingles are high risk factors for heart disease. People with eczema were found to have 48% higher blood pressure and 29% higher cholesterol levels. In addition, people with shingles were 59% more likely to have a heart attack than people without the disease.
- Loss of consciousness or fainting
Feeling dizzy and losing consciousness are very common among patients with heart disease. When the heart is not pumping blood well, it is because blood flow is blocked because of a blocked artery or a narrowed valve. If you ever feel shortness of breath and lose consciousness for a short period of time, call your doctor immediately for a heart exam.
- Your skin becomes paler or takes on a bluish hue
This is not one of the most common symptoms, but when it appears, it is due to decreased blood flow, decreased red blood cell count, and may be a sign that your heart is not pumping blood as it should. Shock is the main cause of this symptom, and the pallor may appear all over the body or in a specific part of the body, such as a limb. However, if you notice pallor, do not panic. Check to see if you are in shock or have some other problem, such as anemia.
These symptoms are not necessarily found in every patient with heart disease, but they are some of the most common warning signs of this disease. Let us know in the comments section if this article was helpful to you.