We are all aware that chest pain is a common sign of a heart attack, but are there other
lesser known but more common signs that you may be missing? That's the question that we
are going to tackle coming up!
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here, I'm Dr. Erik Richardson, a board certified Family Practice physician. On our channel
we focus on trying to give you practical and accurate medical information to help you and
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Welcome to our latest installment of "I have a question". In this series we tackle common
questions that you have about day to day medical issues that you may be facing. Today we're
going to go over some common, yet maybe lesser known symptoms of heart disease, that you
should be looking for and talking to your doctor about if you have them.
In the United States and most developed countries, heart disease has been for some time, and
will continue to be, the leading cause of death in both men and women. The classic symptom
of a heart attack is that pressure like, crushing chest pain that radiates to your jaw and arm.
But unfortunately this isn't the only sign. These can be signs of an active heart attack
going on but there are many other things that you can feel that may not fit that mold. Because
of that, sometimes patients may dismiss or not even recognize concerning signs, because
it doesn't seem to match the symptoms they expect. The things that we are going to go
over are not only symptoms that you may have an active heart attack, but other maybe more
subtle symptoms that may show you are having problems with your heart that need to be addressed.
So what are some of those symptoms you should be looking out for?
The first and in my experience, the most common symptom that I see in my practice, is shortness
of breath with exertion. I usually see this when patients come to me and complain that
they just aren't able to mow the lawn like they used to. Or over the past couple months,
they aren't able to go up a flight of stairs without getting winded. More often than not,
it is my patients wife that is tattling on her husband because he hasn't wanted to come
in and be seen about it. If you start noticing that this is happening to you, it is important
that you get into your doctor and get this checked out.
The second common symptom that I see is somewhat related to the first but presents a little
different. My patients often present just complaining that they feel a lot more tired
lately. They may not recognize or notice any shortness of breath, but they notice that
they just have to stop and rest more frequently than they used to. They can't walk as far
because they just don't feel like they have the energy to go anymore. They find themselves
just wanting to sit because doing much more is just too hard.
The next thing that you need to watch for is persistent issues with nausea, indigestion,
heartburn or stomach pain. Now, just because you have these doesn't mean you are having
a heart attack, but persistent and severe symptoms that don't just go away with your
usual treatments can be a sign that you are having a problem. Women actually tend to present
this way more often than men. The next symptom is feeling dizzy or light
headed especially with standing or exertion. This can be a sign that you heart isn't able
to keep up with the demands that you are putting on it. When you can't get blood to your brain
this is how you start to feel. This is certainly a vague symptom that a lot of other things
can cause, but if you start feeling dizzy with exertion or its associated with some
shortness of breath or chest pressure then you need to be seen.
The next symptom is sudden swelling in your feet and ankles. This could mean that you
just ate too much salt or where on your feet too long, but if you have severe swelling,
especially associated with other symptoms that we described above or if you are having
to prop yourself up with pillows at night in order to breathe then you may be having
issues with your heart. Another common symptom is a feeling of a racing
heart or what we call palpitations in your chest. A few skipped beats here and there
is common and we usually don't worry about that, but if you are having a persistent racing
heart or very frequent skipped beats, then you need to get that looked at.
We alluded to this next one a little in the beginning, but I think it's worth mentioning.
This would be unexplained aches and pains that don't necessarily have to be associated
with chest pain. You can have pain in your back, shoulders, pain in your jaw or arm or
even in your abdomen that doesn't have another explanation. This could be especially concerning,
if these symptoms are associated with exerting your self or are relieved when you rest.
So those are some of the more physical symptoms that you can watch out for that can show that
you are having active issues. But there are other signs that you may have, that can show
that you may be at risk for heart disease. These are by no means proof that you have
any problems, but looking for them may motivate you to improve some of your lifestyle choices.
For one sign of possible heart disease, you need to look no further than your ears. There
are actually two things that researches have found that may show you are at risk for heart
disease. One is developing a crease in your ear lobe as well as having an increase in
hair growth in your ears. Several studies have looked at this and although not completely
proven, have shown an association with having heart disease.
Another sign, especially in men, is receding hair at the temples and the crown. Going bald
overall isn't necessarily one but when it is in these areas it can be a sign.
The next one is developing little fatty deposits around the eyes. We call these Xanthelasma.
They are little cholesterol deposits that can develop around the eyes but also on other
parts of the body. They can be signs of developing heart disease as well.
Several years ago Dutch researchers looked at all of these signs together and found that
when you had all of them you were at a 57% increased risk for a heart attack and 39%
more likely for developing heart disease over the next 35 years.
So if you are having these signs do you need to be running to your doctor and getting a
bunch of tests? Well, not really, at least not more than you normally would in your regular
physicals where we look at your cholesterol and diabetes risk. What it can do, is hopefully
motivate you to work harder on improving your diet and lifestyle and quitting smoking. Making
significant lifestyle choices like this is key to preventing not only heart disease but
a host of other problems that I see in my office every day.
Hopefully going over some of these lesser known signs and symptoms of heart disease
will help you know when you need to be getting in to talk to your doctor. Prevention is key
when it comes to avoiding all the problems that come with heart disease. Look for these
signs and symptoms in yourself or your loved ones and get in to your primary care doctor
to make a plan to put yourself back onto the road of good health.
Hopefully, you found this helpful. If so, do me a favor and give this video a like.
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below and we'll try and answer it in a future video.
So until next time, this is FamilyMed with Dr. Richardson and remember to take care of
your body because it's the only one you have.