What are the signs and symptoms indicating a heart attack is approaching?
Myocardial infarction is a disease that receives special attention in cardiovascular medicine due to its often poor prognosis. Therefore, regarding myocardial infarction, doctors often need to inform patients of the clinical manifestations that may indicate the presence of this condition.
In fact, myocardial infarction falls within the category of coronary heart disease, which is caused by narrowing and blockage of the coronary arteries, the main blood vessels of the heart. This occurs due to the development and progression of atherosclerosis in the human body. Once plaques in atherosclerosis rupture, they can easily form blood clots, blocking blood vessels and disrupting myocardial blood supply, leading to myocardial infarction.
While myocardial infarction occurs suddenly in some individuals, a significant proportion of individuals experience warning signs before its occurrence. These may include effort-induced angina or unstable angina, which means that patients may already have clinical manifestations such as chest tightness, chest pain, and shortness of breath before a myocardial infarction attack.
Initially, these symptoms can be relieved. However, if the symptoms gradually worsen over time, such as prolonged relief time or increased frequency of attacks, they indicate that heart pathology has worsened and may be precursors to myocardial infarction. Manifestations after myocardial infarction often include severe compressive pain in the retrosternal or precordial area, which persists without relief and is accompanied by sweating, a sense of impending doom, nausea, and other discomforts. Therefore, sufficient attention must be given, as failure to treat it promptly can lead to serious consequences.