Heart disease is often thought of as a disease of the elderly, middle-aged and overweight people.
But while the average person is diagnosed in their 60s, doctors say the warning signs can appear decades ahead.
However, symptoms can start subtle, making them more likely to be overlooked or ignored.
According to Dr. Dheepak Bhatt, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai, common problems such as anxiety, fatigue and pain in the limbs can be a sign of a deeper problem.
These symptoms are harmless to the vast majority of people, but if a person experiences them in addition to chest tightness or has a family history of heart disease, they may want to see a doctor.
He said ceasing behaviors such as quitting smoking or vaping, being more active, eating a healthier diet and even avoiding marijuana can reduce a young person’s risk of heart disease.
The condition is the biggest killer of Americans. It is responsible for approximately 700,000 deaths each year.
An estimated eight percent of American men and four percent of women suffer from this condition.
Tension
While everyone feels a little anxious, that discomfort you carry around can in some cases be a sign of a heart problem.
Anxiety and heart disease have a symbiotic relationship. Constant stress puts a strain on the body and damages the heart over time.
Someone who has heart disease is also more likely to suffer from anxiety.
“It’s hard to say which came first. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation,” says dr. bhatt
Problems with a person’s heart, such as palpitations, an irregular heartbeat, or just general aches and pains, cause people to become stressed and lead to anxiety.
This in turn makes the symptoms of heart disease worse.
A 2015 study by Harvard University researchers found that people with anxiety who had coronary artery disease (CAD) were more likely to die.
Your risk increased by up to 21 percent.
However, the effect of fear on the heart is not the only factor.
People who have a mental illness are less likely to seek medical help and are more likely to eat high-cholesterol diets, experts say.
As a result, their symptoms go untreated and are actually made worse by their daily food intake.
It is believed that one in five American adults suffer from anxiety each year, although many go undiagnosed or receive no treatment for the condition.
Anxiety sufferers in the US tend to be younger – and mostly under 45 – and tend to be female.
leg pain
Although it’s hard to think that pain in your legs has anything to do with your heart, tingling in your limbs can indicate deeper problems.
Numbness, pain and tingling in the legs can be a sign that the limbs of the body are not getting enough blood flow.
The condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed and blocked by plaque buildup.
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Erythritol is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar, but contains only 6 percent of the calories.
This can be for various reasons, such as B. a poor diet with high sodium or cholesterol levels, too much stress, smoking or obesity.
There are five veins in a person’s legs, and each one plays an important role in the circulation of blood to the farthest parts of the body and then back to the heart.
In the thigh, a person has their femoral and popliteal arteries. The anterior tibial, posterior tibial and peroneal arteries are all located in the lower leg, around the tibia and calf.
When these arteries become blocked—preventing enough blood from flowing to the lower parts of the body—tissue is damaged.
In the most severe cases, obstructed blood flow can lead to amputation. The American Heart Association warns that 54 percent of amputations in the US are related to PAD.
This symptom is often overlooked, says Dr. bhatt Leg pain can be the result of a deformity or an injury, and doctors will rarely link the legs to heart disease.
“Even doctors don’t think about it,” he said.
If a person develops leg pain, numbness or tingling while walking and it suddenly stops when they rest for a while, according to Dr. Bhatt, it might be time to see a doctor.
These can also be signs of a heart attack or stroke, explains Dr. bhatt
“A numbness or weakness in an arm or leg can be a symptom of a stroke,” he said.
People who have a heart attack may also first experience pain in their arm – usually the left arm – along with chest tightness.
stomach problems
Another connection that many people may not instinctively make is stomach and digestive pain.
People with heart disease often initially have sudden and short-term abdominal pain. As her cardiovascular condition worsens, her digestive problems become more common.
Sudden and sharp pain occurs, usually in the upper right part of a person’s stomach.
This can be caused by intestinal angina, which occurs when not enough blood reaches the large intestine.
People suffering from this condition often experience pain within an hour of eating. In addition to the shooting pain, they may also experience diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Many who suffer from intestinal angina will also lose significant weight over time as they instinctively eat smaller and fewer meals to avoid the pain.
Restricted blood flow can also be caused by clotting in the arteries of the stomach.
The clotting is known as intestinal ischemia, and it can significantly reduce blood flow to a person’s small intestine.
These clots often form as a result of an irregular or fast heartbeat. In addition to abdominal pain, it can also lead to a stroke.
Both conditions may initially appear as nausea before escalating into more severe, noticeable symptoms.
Some people, and perhaps even doctors, may write off the problems as heartburn or other digestive problems without realizing that a serious heart condition is actually involved.
fatigue
Dr. Dheepak Bhatt, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai, warned that many young people can make the fatal mistake of missing early signs of heart problems.
While everyone feels tired from time to time, severe fatigue can be a sign that there is a problem with your heart.
“Fatigue is a difficult thing,” said Dr. bhatt
“These are very non-specific symptoms. Most fatigue is not due to heart disease, perhaps just a bad night’s sleep.’
But, he explains, when the blood cannot circulate enough blood to vital organs, a person feels tired.
“If the heart isn’t pumping properly, blood and oxygen aren’t getting to the vital organs,” he continued.
This can cause numerous problems. Not getting enough blood to the lungs can prevent them from getting enough oxygen.
If the kidney does not get enough blood, it will be difficult to remove waste products from the body.
If not enough blood gets to the liver, the tissue cells in the organ die and the organ may fail.
One of the first signs of this is fatigue. Although fatigue can be caused by a variety of problems every day, doctors advise people who suffer from chronic fatigue to see a doctor.
Sweat
Excessive sweating is a bizarre but common symptom of heart problems.
People with cardiovascular disease often sweat because their bodies have to work harder to pump blood.
Sweat also keeps body temperature down and relieves stress on the heart.
Sweat also removes excess fluid from the body, which reduces the workload of the kidneys in cleansing fluids in the body.
When the kidneys struggle to do their job due to heart failure, sweating can help keep the vital organs working.
Dr. Bhatt also says that the body recognizes that it has a problem and tries to fix it.
‘[It could be] The brain and various aspects of the nervous system activate circuits because they know something is wrong,” he explained.
He also said that sudden heavy sweating, especially when you are not participating in physical activity, can be one of the first signs of a heart attack.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
