Red alert!

Heart attack signs and symptoms vary from person to person and if you have an impending second heart attack, symptoms may not even be the same as they were for the first heart attack.

For a heart attack survivor, Dr. Adolfo Bellosillo, head of the Makati Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation and Preventive Cardiology Unit, advised that one should be aware how to detect if a heart attack is imminent.

“A heart attack occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery. Doctors can prevent or limit heart damage that is, if the person gets help quickly,” he reminded.

Bellosillo said to watch out for these early manifestations:
Pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain;

Pain or discomfort in the back, stomach or one or both arms, discomfort or abnormal pain or sensations within the person’s neck or jaw;

Shortness of breath;

Any of the above symptoms accompanied by nausea or vomiting, dizziness or light-headedness.

“If you encounter any or all of these symptoms, stop whatever you’re doing and seek attention of anyone who may be able to help bring you to a hospital,” Bellosillo, reminding that denial that you’re having a heart attack could kill you. Charles E. Buban