Most Common Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

Shortness Of Breath

Part of the function of the heart is to pump blood from the veins to the lungs so it can undergo carbon dioxide exchange for oxygen. The blood then moves back to the heart, where the muscle pumps it back out to the tissues around the body. When the heart is unable to beat properly, blood can back up in the veins. Oxygen-poor blood is unable to reach the lungs for reoxygenation effectively. The affected individual's brain detects the low oxygen levels and tells the lungs to breath faster and harder in attempts to increase the intake of oxygen. This mechanism is meant to concentrate more oxygen into the blood to improve the conditions of poor oxygen saturation. However, larger amounts of oxygen reaching the lungs cannot provide the rest of the body with a greater amount of oxygenated blood if the heart is unable to pump it back out. During a heart attack, an affected individual may describe feeling like they are unable to breathe in enough air or are short of breath.

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Feeling Lightheaded

Lightheadedness is a symptom of a heart attack that typically occurs more in women than in men. Brain tissues are some of the most demanding tissues in the body when it comes to their oxygen and nutrient requirements. During a heart attack, the heart fails to pump enough oxygenated blood out to the rest of the body. The brain does not receive enough blood, and the tissues become starved of oxygen. The cells start to shut down and can cause the affected individual to dizzy or lightheaded. Medically, this malfunction is known as a drop in blood pressure. These symptoms typically occur when the affected individual is in an upright or standing position, as the force of gravity combines with the insufficient beating of the heart to inhibit the proper amount of blood from reaching the tissues in the brain. Nausea is often accompanied by both dizziness and lightheadedness that occur with a drop in blood pressure. Therefore, nausea may also accompany lightheadedness during a heart attack.

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