HeartAches - When do you know it’s a Heart Attack?
Watching TV had been part of our daily routines and is quite acceptable within limits as it brings the whole family together. However, the last time I’d been home, I never saw a single health related adverts, especially during prime-time shows (well, perhaps i missed it coz I’d obviously made the most of my holiday). I strongly feel this can be further improved. Here is an attempt to promote health awareness.
What is a Heart Attack?
- Heart Attack (known medically as Myocardial Infarction) happens when the blood supply to an area of the heart muscle cease which can lead to potential death of heart tissue.
What causes a Heart Attack?
- Main cause of a heart attack is a clot in the artery (ugat) that supply blood to the heart muscles.
How do I know if I’m having one?
- Chest Pain is the main symptom - this may radiate to your jaw or arm/s. Could be precipitated by heavy work or at rest. Some patient may describe it as a dull ache or chest tightness. The pain is not relieved by rest or your heart medication and has lasted for15 mins.
- Shortness of Breath
- Sweating, cold/clammy skin
- Vomiting
- Palpitation
Interestingly, from my experience as a nurse, some diabetics may not have the classic signs due to pathophysiology involved and may sometimes only exhibit jaw pain, indigestion or tummy pain. I can discuss diabetes further here but I decided to create another post on this in the near future.
Are you at risk?
Let’s just focus on those risk that you can modify.
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Diabetes - obesity may lead to Type 2 Diabetes
What will I do if I think I have one?
- Seek emergency medical attention at the soonest possible time as this reduces further heart damage and treat possible complications.
- If you think you’re at high risk then discuss this in your health check-up. He may advise you to modify your lifestyle and take some drugs to reduce your risks.
What will they do to find out if I’m suffering from a Heart Attack?
There are three things that they initially do to find out:
- ECG - tracing of your heart
- History Taking - it’s good to have a list of any illnesses you have as well as the medications you’re on.
- Blood Test
Feel free to pass it on. You don’t even have to refer back to me. In the meantime, you can read more about it here.
Providing health promotion and disease prevention awareness to the general public can sometimes be a difficult and challenging task. Different strategies need to be utilised to reach your target audience. Not to mention the cost of implications. The growth in blogging had been tremendous and I strongly feel this can be utilised to promote health. Wouldn’t you feel good if you had helped someone by blogging?
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tnx for sharing…very informative
Chuva many thanks for dropping by. salamat sa compliment na rin.
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