7 Deadly Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Dr. Oz’s #1 Symptom You Should Never Ignore: Persistent Nausea

The Condition:  A Heart Attack

Although chest pain is the most common symptom in both men and women, many women experience vague symptoms that are not immediately attributed to a heart attack.

Why would persistent nausea, one of the most surprising symptoms, be a sign of a heart attack? It’s due to the medical phenomenon of “referred pain” – when pain is perceived at a site adjacent to or distant from the actual area of injury or illness. The heart has no actual nerve endings to feel pain, so it sends signals to the spine, which then send signals to the rest of the body.  Ninety-five percent of women who had a heart attack said they felt one of the below symptoms up to a month before the attack. The key is to recognize the symptoms, as well as their frequency and severity.

Here are symptoms of a heart attack that no one should ever ignore:

• Pressure, tightness and squeezing pain across the chest
• Pain radiating down the arm, shoulders, jaw, neck, and back, particularly on the left side
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness, sweating, weakness, overwhelming fatigue
• Feeling of impending doom
• Headache, blurry vision, lightheadedness, feeling faint
• Gastrointestinal symptoms such as indigestion, nausea and vomiting
• Coughing and palpitations

If you are experiencing these symptoms and feel that you are having a heart attack:

• Call 911 and say “I’m having a heart attack.” Have someone drive you to the emergency room if an ambulance can not get to you in time.
• Chew an aspirin; this can reduce damage to the heart muscle.
• Lie down.

Click here for more on what women should know about heart attacks. Click here for more on preventing heart attacks.