Heart attack: Sweating for no reason? Lesser-known warning sign of the dangerous condition

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Heart attacks happen when an artery supplying your heart with blood and oxygen becomes blocked, usually by a blood clot. The most common underlying cause of blood clots is coronary heart disease (CHD), a process whereby coronary arteries (the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood) become clogged with deposits of cholesterol. Experiencing sweating with no valid reason could mean you may be in danger.

Pumping blood through clogged arteries takes a lot more effort from the heart, so the body sweats more to try to keep the body temperature down during this added exertion.

Night sweats are also a common warning sign for women who may be experiencing heart problems.

Both of these conditions can often be overlooked; however, it could be a way the body is warning that a heart attack may ensue.

If you have noticed sweating without any proper exertion it could be a warning sign of something far more sinister.

Sweating appears to be a warning symptom that prompts people suffering a heart attack to get to the hospital, researchers have discovered.

Dr Catherine Ryan at the University of Illinois said: “Heart attack patients often deny symptoms, thereby delaying treatment, but those who sweat are more likely to seek treatment earlier.”

Delays in seeking treating remain a serious problem in heart attack victims’ seeking of treatment that can seriously the outcome, she told those attending the American Heart Association.

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A study of 1,073 heart attack patients hospitalized for heart attack found that though many individuals ignored the usual symptoms of heart attack, if sweating occurred, patients were less likely to delay treatment.

Dr Ryan added: “Bells should ring off if a person suddenly starts sweating profusely.

“They shouldn’t think they have the flu.

“If they don’t have a fever, then they should start to think about something else.”

Patients with the shortest delays in seeking treatment had the most symptoms and were more likely to have chest and upper extremity pain, indigestion, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, weakness, and fatigue, she explains.

In the study, published on Science Direct, sweat being a strong indicator a heart attack may be coming was further investigated.

The study noted: “Sweating during physical activity or in hot weather is healthy. But when individuals begin perspiring while experiencing discomfort in their chest, arm, neck or jaw with little or no exertion it could be the onset of a heart attack.

“Analysis showed that individuals with the shortest delays (a mean of 9.78 hours) had a greater probability of experiencing the largest number of symptoms. Individuals with the longest delays (a mean of 22.77 hours) had moderate probability of experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath.”

How to prevent having a heart attack

Eating an unhealthy diet that is high in fat is absolute no-no, according to the NHS.

As the health body explains, a high-fat diet will make hardening of the arteries worse and increase your risk of a heart attack.

Instead, you should aim to follow a Mediterranean-style diet, which is high in unsaturated fat, says the health body.

A Mediterranean-style diet consists of eating more bread, fruit, vegetables and fish, and less meat.

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