Over the years, researchers have gathered enough evidence to prove that death due to heart disease is increasing in India. Since cardiovascular disease strikes Indians a decade earlier than people around the world, the number of heart attacks among people between the ages of 30 and 69 is on the rise. Which brings us to the question – can we predict a heart attack?
Dr Ankur Phatpekar, Director Cath Lab and Intervention Cardiologist, Symbosis Hospital, Mumbai says, “It can be very difficult for people to detect a heart attack at an early stage, however, the most common one we see is chest pain. Along with sweating. Chest pain, which is associated with excessive sweating, breathlessness, restlessness, would be a sign of serious heart disease and people tend to self-diagnose and ignore it as it could be simple acidity or muscle pain. It is advisable for everyone that if they ever feel any such symptom, the first step is to immediately go to the hospital and get an ECG done and seek medical attention. Sometimes extreme tiredness and extreme tiredness are symptoms that are very specific but can lead to a heart attack. Therefore, any symptoms that are not normal should always be checked by a family doctor or cardiologist. People are also advised to go for ECG test on monthly basis to keep heart health under control. “Young people usually don’t expect a heart attack to cause chest pain in the left side, so what happens is that they present late or that their family members understand it too late. And as a result, those who have What happens is that due to slowly developing blockages, there may be natural bypass collaterals that may have opened but these collaterals do not develop in young individuals especially young smokers. So, any blockage that may occur. It is acute, has very bad consequences. If any heart disease or high BP is not treated early, it can lead to dire consequences,” he added.
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Highlighting the range of symptoms, Dr. Jaideep Menon, Consultant, Adult Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi shared, “Most individuals have a prodrome before the actual pain of myocardial infarction, which includes gaseous erections, urge to have a bowel movement, etc. , include nausea. , restlessness, fatigue etc., it may occur hours or even days before the actual event. None of the symptoms are permanent, especially in persons at risk of heart disease.” Commenting on whether heat affects one’s chances of having a heart attack, he adds, “The literature tells us that acute cardiac events are more frequent at extremes of temperature, both in the heat and in the cold. Heat waves increase cardiovascular events as seen in the US and also in extreme cold weather.
We know that a heart attack occurs due to blockage in the coronary arteries due to the formation of a clot inside the artery. Atheroma plaque ruptures and forms a clot with blood. Preventing death from a heart attack requires immediate CCU care.
Doctors suggest that if you are diabetic, high blood pressure, a smoker and have a family history of heart attack- you should be more careful.