Every day our hearts beat 100,000 times to pump blood through the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients that enable our organs and muscles to function properly. But despite this impressive achievement and clear indispensable role, we neglect our heart health.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioral and environmental risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, and lack of physical activity.
It is also important to detect cardiovascular diseases as soon as they occur, so that we can begin to treat them.
Professor Tony Hegerty, Head of the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK, shared with The Telegraph newspaper the symptoms that may indicate heart disease and should be paid attention to.
1- Difficulty grasping things
A healthy heart sends blood supplies and oxygen to the muscles we need to grip things. If you have heart disease, your heart muscle is inefficient and cannot increase its activity to supply blood to those muscles. “So your muscles weaken and your grip strength decreases,” says Professor Hegerty.
He explains that a person may notice weak grip strength if he finds it difficult to grip objects normally, such as shopping bags or milk cartons.
If weak grip strength is the only symptom that’s worrying you, you probably don’t need to see your doctor, but if you’re also experiencing other worrisome symptoms, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, you should see your doctor.
2- Pain similar to indigestion
A painful burning sensation in the chest may just be a sign of indigestion. But it may also be a sign of a heart problem.
“Sometimes people feel chest pain and think it’s indigestion, when it’s actually coming from the heart,” says Professor Hegerty, who explains that it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.
Chest pain caused by a heart problem usually occurs during exercise and goes away with rest, while indigestion usually only occurs after meals. If you have indigestion-like pain after exercise, it’s worth seeing a doctor.
3- A feeling like suffocation
Narrowing of the arteries results in chest pain called angina, due to decreased blood flow to the heart. It is a symptom of heart disease that can also lead to a feeling of suffocation, tightness or pain in the throat.
This symptom occurs due to the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the muscles, and insufficient delivery of oxygen to these muscles causes the cells to shift their energy path to anaerobic metabolism, and this leads to the release of lactic acid, and the accumulation of this acid leads to the stimulation of nerve endings. To send pain signals.
Some people develop angina symptoms relatively quickly, and the amount of physical activity they can do decreases before symptoms appear. Professor Hegerty says, “This symptom should be examined by a doctor, as this is a sign of serious narrowing of the coronary artery and may herald a heart attack.”
4- Swelling of the ankles
“Swelling of the ankles is commonly seen in patients with heart failure,” says Professor Hegerty.
The heart muscle is unable to pump blood effectively. If you stand for any period of time, fluid will leak out of the blood vessels and collect around the ankles. This represents poor blood circulation, which is a symptom of heart failure. Swollen ankles can also be caused by medications and weight gain. , and varicose veins.
5- Leg pain
Erosion of the arteries that supply blood to the legs causes lactic acid to build up in the muscles and results in pain. Professor Hegerty says it is a sign of peripheral arterial disease, and is often seen in patients who smoke, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
The pain usually occurs in the leg, behind the knee, or sometimes in the buttocks. “Some patients can walk half a mile and then the pain comes, while others get it so quickly, it accelerates that they can’t do anything,” Professor Hegerty says.
If the pain persists, even at rest, this is a critical problem that requires urgent examination by a doctor.
6- Pain in the shoulders, arms, or jaw
Pain in the heart can travel through the nerves that supply the shoulder, arms and jaw, which means heart problems can spread to other parts of the body.
Professor Hegarty says, “These pains may be caused by the heart’s inability to pump blood effectively during physical activity. There is a buildup of lactic acid, which stimulates nerve fibers, causing discomfort in the chest, shoulders, and usually the left arm.”
If you are experiencing these types of pain, it is recommended that you go to your doctor, but, if the pain comes at rest, it is an emergency and you should come to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.
How to protect your heart health?
To avoid heart problems, you must follow a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise strengthens the heart, which means it can pump more blood around the body with less effort. Exercise also helps lower cholesterol and maintain healthy blood pressure.
You must follow a balanced diet, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limit your intake of sugar, salt, and saturated fats. A healthy diet is key to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, all of which increase the risk of heart disease.
You should also quit smoking, as smoking is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), which makes it difficult for blood to flow, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.