In order to properly diagnosis heart attack, a doctor will pay attention to the symptoms that you have been experiencing. There are several symptoms that may indicate you are having a heart attack. If you feel these symptoms for more than a few minutes, you may be having a heart attack. It is vital that you seek emergency medical help immediately. Do not wait. Call 911 right away.
– The most common symptom of a heart attack is pressure, discomfort, heaviness or a squeezing sensation in the chest.
– Jaw pain
Pain in the arms and shoulders, especially in the left arm, during physical or stressful activity
– Unexplained shortness of breath or problems with breathing
– Unexplained an excessive sweating
– Feelings of indigestion or heartburn
– Nausea or vomiting
– Pain the back or upper abdomen
– Lethargy or listlessness
– Feelings of faintness, lightheadedness, or actual fainting
– Rapid or pounding heartbeat
– Dizziness
– Anxiety or nervousness
– Feelings of impending doom
The symptoms of a heart attack may not actually be a heart attack. Angina is chest pain that feel nearly identical to the chest pains before a heart attack. However, angina lasts for only a few minutes. It is still important that you visit your health care provider to be checked out if you have any of these symptoms so that you can be properly diagnosed. Angina, if it becomes unstable, is precursory to a heart attack.
A doctor will conduct a thorough physical examination and will also want to review your complete medical history and the medical history of your family. Other tests may be conducted to properly diagnose whether you have had a heart attack. The actual diagnosis of the heart attack must be done by the doctor who has studied the results of several tests.
– An electrocardiogram may be used to discover any abnormalities caused by damage to the heart. This test measures the rate and regularity of the heartbeats.
– Blood tests may be conducted to detect abnormal levels of particular enzymes in the bloodstream. When cells in the heart die, they release enzymes that are biomarkers. Measuring the amount of these biomarkers can show how much damage was done to your heart. Specific blood tests include checking troponin levels in the blood, testing for different forms of creatine kinase in the blood, and checking for myoglobin in the blood.
– A nuclear heart scan uses radioactive tracers to outline the heart chamber and major vessels through the heart. It shows how much damage was done.
– Cardiac catheterization is when a thin tube is passed through the arteries to reach the coronary arteries. Pressure and blood flow in the heart can be determined with this test, as well as blood samples collected from the heart.
– Coronary angiography is when a dye is injected into the coronary arteries and x-rayed so that your doctor can see the flow of blood through heart and see where there are blockages.
Thousands of American die each year of a heart attack because they did not seek medical attention in time. It is good to be cautious and go the hospital just in case, as it may mean the difference between life and death. Even if you aren’t having a heart attack, you may be able to receive treatment for whatever is causing your symptoms and be properly diagnosed.
It is possible to have a heart attack with realizing it. About one fourth of the people who have a heart attack will experience no pain or discomfort at all, or at least no pain that they associated with a heart attack. These are called silent heart attacks.
Doctors will usually still be able to diagnose whether you have experienced a heart attack, regardless of the symptoms. The absence of pain doesn’t mean an absence of damage to the heart. The heart is able to allow some suffering and still continue to meet the body’s needs. But further complications or another heart attack, even a mild one, may prove fatal to the victim. Even those who survive another heart attack may have congestive heart failure or irregular heartbeats.