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A silent heart attack isn’t any less deadly.
October 10, 2017

The dramatic clutching of the heart. The pained grimace on the face. The stumble forward, the fall to the floor.

Even today, that’s the image of “what a heart attack looks like” that comes to mind. It’s time to file away some less common symptoms under that same “heart attack” heading in your brain, so that if you or a loved one experience them, you’ll know to take immediate action.

A Cardiologist at St. Luke’s Heart and Vascular Center says to take note of the following indicators. “Pain that presents in the left arm, for men, and in either arm, for women, that isn’t the result of an injury or exercise can indicate a heart that is struggling. Neck, back, or jaw pain (particularly on the left side) that appears for no reason is also a sign you should pay attention to, particularly in women. And severe heartburn not as a result of eating foods that upset your stomach, shortness of breath not from too much exercise, and fatigue that isn’t remedied by sleep — or persistent sleeplessness — are also common signals that your body is giving you about the condition of your heart.”

Undoubtedly, these symptoms are common ones that can be associated with a number of other ailments. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay attention to them. If your body is giving you a message, the most important thing you can do is listen to it. Get an appointment with your doctor, and get checked out.