A heart attack can begin with unusual symptoms such as stomach or tooth pain rather than the classic severe chest pressure, a cardiologist has warned.
Dr Andrey Kondrakhin told the Russian news outlet Life.ru that while a typical heart attack presents with unmistakable signs, patients can sometimes miss less obvious precursors because they do not associate them with their heart.
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is suddenly interrupted. This is most commonly caused by a blood clot blocking one of the coronary arteries, the vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart.
The lack of blood and oxygen can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle. Immediate medical intervention is critical for survival and preserving heart function. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, making public awareness of all potential warning signs essential.
The typical symptoms of a heart attack include severe pain behind the breastbone that persists even when a person changes their body position. Kondrakhin said patients experiencing a classic episode may also develop a cold, clammy sweat, severe weakness and difficulty breathing.
Atypical heart attack symptoms
However, Kondrakhin noted that the symptoms can occasionally be much less pronounced. He said a person might feel pain in their stomach or a tooth and completely fail to make the connection to a severe cardiac event.
This phenomenon is known to medical professionals as referred pain. It occurs because the nerve pathways carrying pain signals from the heart to the brain travel alongside nerves from other areas of the body, such as the jaw, neck, shoulders or abdomen. The brain can sometimes misinterpret the source of the pain, leading a patient to believe they have severe indigestion or a dental issue when their heart is actually failing.
The cardiologist advised people to be vigilant if pain behind the breastbone initially appears during physical exertion but then begins to occur when resting. This progression can indicate unstable angina, a condition where the heart does not get enough blood flow and oxygen, which often precedes a full heart attack.
Kondrakhin said that if a patient over the age of 45 experiences sudden, gripping pain, medical professionals will immediately perform an electrocardiogram to assess the situation.
An electrocardiogram, commonly referred to as an ECG or EKG, is a standard diagnostic test that checks the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart. Small sensors attached to the skin detect the electrical signals produced by the heart each time it beats, allowing doctors to identify abnormalities or damage to the heart muscle.
Importance of immediate diagnosis
The doctor advised anyone experiencing any type of chest pain to undergo a medical examination. He noted that while the risk of cardiac issues increases with age, heart attacks can also happen to younger individuals. Risk factors for younger patients often include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
Sometimes a heart attack can occur almost without any pain at all. These are known as silent heart attacks and are more common in people with diabetes, whose nerve function may be impaired. Kondrakhin said this lack of pain makes it difficult for an individual to recognize the medical emergency themselves.
Because early treatment can prevent severe heart damage, Kondrakhin urged people to seek medical help as soon as possible if any alarming symptoms arise.
The warning follows similar advice from neurologist Olga Butenko, who previously noted that a heart attack can mistakenly be interpreted as a panic attack.
A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger. Symptoms can include a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating and a feeling of impending doom, mirroring several physical signs of a cardiac emergency.
Butenko said the two medical conditions share many common signs, but they can be distinguished from one another by observing how quickly the symptoms develop. Panic attack symptoms typically peak within minutes, while heart attack symptoms may build more gradually and persist longer.
