Having a heart attack doesn’t always happen like in movies, with sharp chest pain. Watch for these other, not-so-common signs.
In Spain, some 40,000 cases of cardiac attack are recorded each year, but survival is just 11%, causing around 30,000 deaths. In addition, according to a report published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on the causes of death in the country in 2014, cardiovascular disease continues to rank as the leading cause of death representing 29.66% of total deaths, which puts it above cancer (27.86%) and respiratory system diseases (11.08%).
And not only that: “Over the age of 40, half of Spaniards have high cholesterol and, in total, about 5,000 coronary surgeries are performed annually,” says Carlos Macaya, cardiologist at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid and president of the Spanish Cardiology Foundation.
The prevention of heart disease is the main objective, but early detection is the best alternative. This can lead to lifestyle changes and medical therapies that can delay or deny the onset of an attack; almost 80% can be prevented with new healthy habits. Many of Dr. Joel K. Kahn’s patients are surprised to learn the following clues about clogged arteries and underlying heart disease that can appear.
1. Erectile Dysfunction
Men have a warning system built into their bodies when they have silent coronary heart disease. If they do not get an erection, it is difficult or impossible, it can be a sign of blocked arteries in the pelvis that occurs before a heart attack occurs.
There are, on average, three to five years between the onset and the problem being found, which is a long time to detect and work on the prevention of this type of condition. If you and your partner are concerned about your sex life, look for and treat the causes of diseased arteries before taking Viagra.
2. Baldness
Male alopecia is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only if the lack of hair occurs in the crown, rather than in the front, according to a review of studies published in the British Medical Journal.
Other research comparing the heart health of bald men with those who were not showed a similar picture.
Males who had lost their hair had a 70% higher risk of heart disease, and in younger groups this figure rose to 84%.
The intensity of the alopecia also influenced, the more extensive the baldness, the greater the risk, but only when it occurred at the crown of the head.
In addition, another study of more than 7,000 people (more than 4,000 were women), moderate baldness doubled the risk of heart attack or other heart disease in both sexes.
3. Ear fold
One such external indicator is the diagonal folds in the ear lobes, known as the Frank sign, named after Sanders Frank, an American physician who first described this sign.
Studies have shown that there is an association with this cleft and an increased risk of atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up between the inside of the arteries.
It starts at the lower edge of the outer ear canal and moves at a 45-degree angle toward the edge of the pinna lobe.
More than forty studies have shown an association between this characteristic of the ear and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
It is not clear what causes the association, but some have shown that it is a shared embryological origin.
More recently, it has been seen that these folds are also involved in cerebrovascular disease in the blood vessels of the brain.
4. Back Problems
Once again, a heart attack doesn’t always have to feel like it’s in your chest.
Often, patients may notice as if an elephant had sat on top of their chest, but they may also have it in the upper back (neck), says Kahn. This could be a sign that you’re suffering from one.
5. Calf pain
If you feel discomfort while walking, you may have a more serious problem. This is called claudication.
Atherosclerosis can block the arteries in the legs, particularly in smokers, before coronary heart disease is diagnosed.
This symptom requires evaluation by a professional.
Your doctor will examine the pulses in your legs and take simple measurements of lower extremity blood pressure and blood flow to confirm a diagnosis of poor circulation.
It is critical that heart disease be diagnosed as early as possible because there are many dietary and medical treatments that can help reverse the problem.
Some of Kahn’s patients were able to check for these signs. “I advised them to eat a diet based on vegetables and fewer animal products and to start a program in which they walk a lot. Their calf pain was completely resolved in a matter of weeks and didn’t repeat itself for years,” he says.
6. Sore jaw
This symptom of clogged arteries occurs most often in them, although they should also be aware of it.
According to Harvard Medical School, aches and pains in the jaw and neck are common symptoms of Angina Pectoris, which is the discomfort that results from poor blood flow to a part of the heart.
The pain occurs because the main nerve that transmits the heart’s pain signals, the vagus nerve, is in constant contact with the neck, jaw, head, and left arm.
See your doctor to find out if the discomfort in this area is the result of something benign such as teeth grinding, or if it’s something you’ll want to control with caution.
