_edited.jpg)
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/o3GTj5WlYsU
Mike: It is said that every 40 seconds in the US someone is having a heart attack.
Brad: There's a misconception that men have more heart attacks, but actually it's about 50/50, between men and women.
Mike: So today we're going to cover the early signs of a heart attack that you don't want to ignore.
Brad: That's right.
Mike: So first we're going to cover some common risk factors. Now, if you have more than one of these risk factors, you are going to be at a higher percentage of possibly having a heart attack in the future. So first is age. It is said that men typically over 45, are more likely to have a heart attack. And women, it is age 55 and older.
Brad: Next is diabetes. If you have diabetes, you're a little more likely to have a heart attack in the sense that the higher blood sugar levels contribute to problems with the vessels in the heart itself.
Mike: So third is excessive weight. Typically, if you are overweight, your heart has to work harder to actually pump blood. And other common risk factors are associated with being overweight, like high blood pressure and diabetes.
Brad: That's right. High blood pressure actually can cause your heart to work harder, causing potential damage to the heart vessels, therefore leading to possibly a heart attack.
Mike: So risk factor number five is high cholesterol. Now there are arguments debating between HDL and LDL ratios as well as triglycerides. Obviously, talk to your doctor, they will know much more about this. However, having overall high cholesterol with overall increased inflammation can be a problem.
Brad: There you go. Next is a lack of exercise or a sedentary lifestyle. If you exercise, you exercise your bodily muscles, plus you're exercising the heart, making it a stronger muscle, as well as improving collateral circulation, which is a good thing.
Mike: Yes, your heart is actually a muscle, and the more you train it, the stronger it becomes,
Brad: Right.
Mike: So risk factor number seven is having a prior heart attack. Now, this may seem obvious to some people, however, I have worked with patients who say, "I just had surgery, now I'm good to go," and they don't change any lifestyle factors. If you've had a heart attack, you're more prone to developing another one unless you change some of your risk factors.
Brad: The next is tobacco use. I think everyone understands this. Smoking damages, blood vessels, which are in the heart itself, and can increase your heart attack risk quite a bit.
Mike: The final risk factor is a family history of heart disease. These can be genetic traits. However, some people, if you have a completely different lifestyle change than the rest of your family, say they're more sedentary, inactive, drink and smoke more, and you are more healthy and pay attention to these things, obviously family history isn't as important, but it can be a genetic thing, so that's important to look at.
Brad: That's right. For example, in my family, there's a strong history of males having heart problems. So I know I really gotta keep in touch with my exercise, and my diet, and minimize that and make that a risk factor that's not so prominent.
Mike: So now we're going to cover these six common warning signs that you may be having a heart attack.
Brad: The first one is unusual fatigue. If you're finding activities that you could do easily now are becoming more difficult and cause shortness of breath and whatnot, that is definitely a warning sign.
Mike: Yes, your heart is probably having trouble efficiently pumping blood and circulation around your body leading to the fatigue you are feeling. A second common warning sign is feeling lightheaded or fainting. Typically, that means you're not getting enough blood flow going into your brain, which can mean your heart is weak and can't pump it up there enough. So that is another big warning sign.
Brad: Now, please keep in mind there are other things that can cause all of these warning signs. For example: orthostatic hypotension, a lot of people get dizzy when they stand up quickly. That's oftentimes not a symptom of a heart attack, but if it's something you haven't experienced before, then you might want to pay attention to it.
Mike: Now the next symptom is nausea or vomiting. I personally have never met anyone who was nauseous and vomiting and had a heart attack as the main culprit of it. However, it can be a correlational thing. Typically what happens is your body is very stressed out because your heart isn't working efficiently. So it can be a side effect of that.
Brad: Okay, let's go to the next one on shortness of breath. This is a very common one with people with a heart attack. However, there's other things that can cause it too, but typically you get this shortness of breath associated with an activity. One thing we must mention, a lot of these are gonna overlap. You're probably going to get three or four of these kinds of happening all within a short time period. So it's something to keep in mind.
Mike: Next is chest pain or discomfort. Obviously this is the most common sign. Most people, my grandpa for instance in the past, said it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest and he couldn't catch his breath or breathe. However, it's important to notice people can have chest discomfort from acid reflux or GERD, so there is a difference. If you've had those symptoms before, however, this seems more severe or different, it is important to go get it checked out.
Brad: Right. This is one, if you call your doctor and say, I'm having some chest pain, you know, can I get an appointment in the next week? They're gonna say, no, you need to go to the ER right now. I know I've done it because I have costochondritis, which is chest pain from another source. That's another story. We have videos on that. But this is a big one, get to the ER and get it checked out because if it's a heart attack, it could be fatal and very well.
Mike: And some heart attacks, the pain is persistent the whole time. Some people are even having a heart attack and it will come and go, so it stays for a few minutes, dissipates, but then returns. If you're having reoccurring pain like that, definitely get it checked out.
Brad: Now this next one is other pains than the chest. And these are quite common as well, we call them referral pains because the pain is coming from your heart, but you feel it in different parts of your body. Some common areas that you get referral pains from a heart attack, Mike.
Mike: These include the arm or shoulder region, sometimes even the upper back. Typically it's your left side. There are some cases that may be the opposite, but most of the time it's the side your heart is on. It can include neck pain as well, or even jaw pain. And there is a little bit of stomach issues as well. However many things can cause stomach issues.
Brad: Sure. Alright. So what we have here is a list of risk factors and common causes. Again, there's a lot of variability between them and they overlap. So keep them in mind, maybe you want to check them off, write them down so that you can remember them for the future in case it's like, oh yeah, this is something, a risk factor, or go back and review. One way or another, if you're concerned, you need to see your doctor. If you got chest pains, you need to go right now. So I didn't want to scare anyone, but it's true.
Mike: So if you want to check out more videos on heart attack warning signs, we actually did one with Brad and Chris, the pharmacist, where they talked in depth about it. That video is "Heart Attack Warning Signs Can Save Your LIFE! (Male & Female)."
Brad: That's right. That one has a lot more statistics and a little more information about the difference between males and females and the statistics with that. It's very interesting.
For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways
Bob and Brad’s Products
Pain Management:
Fitness:
Stretching:
Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop
Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
Comments