Chest pain is the most commonly ignored symptom that signals something serious, according to emergency medicine physician Dr. Ashely Alker, author of “99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them.” “Your brain and your heart, those are two things that will kill you,” Alker warns, emphasizing that pain and discomfort from those regions require top priority.
“Cardiac disease is the lead killer in the U.S. There’s never a reason to ignore chest pain. If your right foot hurts, call your primary care doctor, but if you have chest pain, you need to go to an emergency department immediately,” Alker said. Chest pain is a major symptom of a heart attack, which occurs when a coronary artery delivering blood to the heart is suddenly blocked. The heart cannot get enough oxygen and heart muscle begins to die unless the patient receives prompt treatment. “We have 90 minutes to get a stent in you in order to pop that blood vessel back open and save the tissue so it doesn’t die,” Alker explains. “It is a time sensitive situation.”
Chest pain associated with a heart attack feels like uncomfortable tightness, squeezing or fullness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For some people, it can feel like heartburn or indigestion. It can be in the center or left side of the chest, and last for more than a few minutes or go away and come back. The chest pain may radiate to the jaw, back or shoulder, and is often described as “a crushing pressure.” Call 911 if you notice these symptoms, the CDC advises.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://headtopics.com/news/never-ignore-this-1-symptom-that-signals-a-health-83085933