A recent study has revealed that individuals may experience certain symptoms more than a month before suffering a heart attack. The study, which examined 242 people who had experienced a heart attack, found that 100 of them had minor symptoms prior to the onset of the heart attack.
Published in Cureus, the study identified chest pain as the most common symptom, with 68% of individuals reporting experiencing it before their heart attack. Furthermore, 32% of participants had this symptom more than a month before the heart attack occurred.
Other symptoms reported in the study included feeling heavy in the chest (44%), heart palpitations (42%), shortness of breath (34%), and a burning sensation in the chest (27%). Additionally, some individuals reported feeling unusually tired (23%) or experiencing trouble sleeping (22%).
Research has indicated that chest pain can serve as a warning sign for a future heart attack, with individuals experiencing sensations such as pressure, heaviness, tightness, or squeezing across the chest. According to the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands, individuals with unexplained chest pain were found to be 15% more likely to suffer a heart attack within the first year, with this increased risk persisting for up to 10 years after their initial doctor’s appointment.
The research, which analyzed data from 2002 to 2018, encompassed over half a million adults who had never previously experienced chest pain or heart issues. The findings shed light on the importance of recognizing and addressing potential warning signs of a heart attack, particularly for individuals experiencing chest pain.
