According to 2006 data from the American Heart Association, every year in the United States there are over one million heart attacks, and in 2006, coronary heart disease was the single leading cause of death. The Cleveland Clinic notes that approximately 50 percent of all heart attacks occur in patients younger than 65 years of age. Early age symptoms of heart attacks can have a variety of presentations.
Chest Pain
Chest pain, described as pressure or tightness in the mid sternum, is a classic symptom of an acute heart attack. Pain can radiate to the jaw, back or arm, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Chest pain occurs when the heart muscle does not get enough blood through the coronary arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques, or fatty deposits, in the arteries, cause blockages in the coronary arteries, which in turn block the flow of blood to the heart muscle. Without blood flow, the heart is deprived of oxygen and heart muscle cells begin to die.
Atypical Angina
Patients who suffer atypical angina have a higher risk of dying of a heart attack than those patients who have chest pain, according to an article published November 4, 2005 on ScienceDaily.com. Atypical angina refers to the shortness of breath that patients experience instead of chest pain during a heart attack. Patients with the onset of shortness of breath do not often equate their symptoms to a heart attack, but the researchers found that patients with shortness of breath were four times more likely to die from a heart attack. When the heart suffers ischemia, or decreased blood flow due to a blockage, it does not pump effectively. When the heart does not pump well, fluid backs up into the lungs. Shortness of breath as a heart attack symptom may be the result of the effects of ischemia. Inflammatory proteins that are associated with plaque development and cause the generalized fatigue and malaise that heart attack patients experience may also cause atypical angina.
Sweating
Diaphoresis, or sweating, is a common symptom of a heart attack according to the Cleveland Clinic. A heart attack causes an anxiety response within the brain and engages the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system regulates the fight or flight response. Anxiety releases cortisol, which signals the brain that the body is in danger. The brain responds by increasing the heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as the body's metabolism. This results in diaphoresis during a heart attack.
References
- American Heart Association.org: Heart Attack and Angina Statistics
- ClevelandClinic.com: Acute Myocardial Infarction
- MayoClinic.com: Chest Pain - Causes
- ScienceDaily.com: Shortness of Breath Without Chest Pain Can Signify the Presence of High Risk Heart Disease
- "Integrative Medicine": David Rakel. 2007
