Warning Signs of Heart and Brain Atack

Warning signs of heart and brain attack

Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death emergencies where immediate medical attention is crucial.
Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death emergencies -- every second counts, because with each second, more irreversible damage occurs. So if you have symptoms get help immediately. The advice is not to wait longer than a five minutes to seek medical attention.
Many people think a heart attack is sudden and intense, like a "movie" heart attack, where a person clutches his or her chest and falls over.
The truth is that many heart attacks start slowly, as a mild pain or discomfort. Sometimes the symptoms go away and return. But as long as you experience some symptoms, and are unsure of what's happening, get help immediately to be safe.
Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

· Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

· Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

· Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.

· Other signs. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
While men and women experience the same symptoms, bear in mind, that women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Just as you can get a heart attack, you can also get a brain attack or stroke. In a stroke, the need to see a doctor immediately is more critical.Here are warning signs of a stroke.

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. It's very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.