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Excess weight. Family history of heart disease. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Lack of exercise. Prior heart attack. Tobacco use. Having a silent heart attack increases the risk of having another heart attack, which could be deadly. Having another heart attack also increases the risk of complications, such as heart failure.
Women are more likely than men to have health conditions that increase the risk of heart disease such as: Smoking. Smoking is a greater risk factor for heart disease in women than it is in men. Not being active. A lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for heart disease. Emotional stress and depression.
Women may have atypical symptoms such as brief or sharp pain felt in the neck, arm or back. Sometimes, the first symptom sign of a heart attack is sudden cardiac arrest. Some heart attacks strike suddenly. But many people have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance.
Heart attack symptoms may include: Chest pain. It may feel like pressure, tightness, pain, squeezing or aching. The chest pain may come and go. Upper body pain. Pain or discomfort spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or sometimes the upper belly. Some people have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.
Certain heart proteins slowly leak into the blood after heart damage from a heart attack. Blood tests can be done to check for these proteins (cardiac markers). Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray shows the condition and size of the heart and lungs. Echocardiogram. Sound waves (ultrasound) create images of the moving heart.
Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back. Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain. Shortness of breath. Cold sweat. Fatigue. Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness. The most common symptom of heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort.
Heart murmurs are sounds — such as whooshing or swishing — made by rapid, choppy (turbulent) blood flow through the heart. The sounds can be heard with a device called a stethoscope. A typical heartbeat makes two sounds like "lubb-dupp" (sometimes described as "lub-DUP") when the heart valves are closing. Heart murmurs can be present at ...
Answer From Rekha Mankad, M.D. There is some evidence that calcium supplements can increase the risk of heart attacks. Calcium supplements are usually taken to treat or prevent bone disease, such as osteoporosis. A review of studies found that calcium supplements increased the risk of heart disease, particularly in healthy, postmenopausal women.
2. Get moving: Aim for at least 30 to 60 minutes of activity daily. Regular, daily physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease. Physical activity helps control your weight. It also lowers the chances of getting other conditions that may put a strain on the heart.
When they do occur, the most common is chest pressure or pain, typically on the left side of the body (angina pectoris). Other signs and symptoms — which might be experienced more commonly by women, older people and people with diabetes — include: Neck or jaw pain. Shoulder or arm pain. A fast heartbeat.