NHS experts are urging people to look out for two common early warning signs of a heart attack that are often ignored. The health body has issued a campaign to raise awareness of the potential symptoms as research shows many in Britain dismiss or aren’t aware of the signs.
It comes as figures showed hospital admissions for heart attacks rose to 84,000 in England from 2021 to 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels. As reported by NottinghamshireLive, around seven in 10 people survive a heart attack, increasing to more than nine in 10 for those who reach hospital early to receive treatment.
The NHS research found that 70 percent of those surveyed knew that chest pain is a symptom of a heart attack. However, knowledge of two other signs was lacking.
Just 41 percent knew sweating was a common symptom. While only 27 per cent understood that feeling weak and lightheaded was also a sign.
More specifically, the sweating felt prior to a heart attack could be “sudden” and accompanied by “cold, clammy skin”, according to the Mayo Clinic. The lightheadedness could also come with dizziness or feeling “like you might pass out”.
People should dial 999 as soon as they experience any symptoms of a heart attack, the NHS says. The common signs that should prompt this include:
- Squeezing or pain across the chest
- Sweating
- A feeling of uneasiness
- Pain that radiates down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach
- Difficulty breathing (snoring or rasping)
- Rapid heartbeat
- Low or undetectable heartbeat
- Blue or pale tingling of knees, hands and lips
- Nausea or coughing up blood
- Unconsciousness
- Seizures or fitting.
Professor Nick Linker, cardiologist and NHS national clinical director for heart disease, commented: “Cardiovascular disease causes one in four deaths across the country, so it is vital that people are aware of the early signs of a heart attack.
“Every moment that passes during a heart attack increases heart muscle damage and nearly all of the damage takes place within the first few hours, so if you experience symptoms such as a sensation of squeezing or tightness across the chest alongside sweating, nausea, or a sense of unease, please call 999 so you have the best chance of a full recovery”.