Back Pain And Risk Of Fatal Ischaemic Heart Disease: 13 Year Follow Up Of Finnish Farmers
- Accepted 16 June 1994
In the early 1980s some authors found an association between cardiovascular risk factors, especially smoking, and back pain. Quite recently Kauppila and Tollroth reported an association between history of back pain and atherosclerotic lesions of lumbar arteries in cadavers. They suggested that back pain could be an early symptom of atherosclerosis. Prospective studies concerning mortality related to back pain have not been published previously. My purpose was to find out whether patients reporting back pain have an increased risk of dying of ischaemic heart disease when compared with those who have no back symptoms.
What Is My Dizziness Telling Me
Dizziness isnt all created equal. It can cause you to feel off balance, light-headed, faint or like youre spinning, a condition known as vertigo. Dizziness itself isnt a disease, but its often a symptom of an underlying health issue that may or may not be serious.
Dizziness tells you something is going on with your body, says Dr. Yvette Pellegrino, a family medicine physician at Beaufort Memorial Ladys Island Internal Medicine. It can be associated with a sudden drop in blood pressure, motion sickness and inner ear infections. It can also be a side effect of a medication youre taking.
Other health issues associated with dizziness include the following:
- Anxiety
- Multiple sclerosis
- Seizures
Getting to the root cause is important, especially if you experience dizziness frequently or it impacts your day-to-day activities. Always ask your doctor about dizziness associated with a medication. You should also see a doctor about dizziness if you experience a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, weakness, hearing loss or other unusual symptoms.
Signs Of Heart Attack That You Shouldnt Ignore
About every 40 seconds, someone has a heart attack in the US. Most people imagine that having a heart attack is always intense. But the truth is that sometimes you may be unsure if your are suffering from a heart attack because the signs can be subtle and different from what you may typically think of.
This makes heart attacks very dangerous. In fact, 1 in 5 heart attacks goes unnoticed, meaning the heart muscle is damaged due to lack of blood supply but the person is not aware of that this has occurred.
So what are the signs of a heart attack both subtle and not-so-subtle? Here are 4 signs of heart attack to be on the lookout for:
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What To Do If You Suspect Something Else
Theres only one major tiphere: See a doctor, whether it is your primary care physician or aspecialist. Each condition that mimics spinal problems comes with its own treatments,but the first step is an accurate diagnosis. For example, a nerve test such aselectromyography can help a doctor spot neuropathy, and a blood-flow testsuch as the ankle-brachial index can distinguish between spinal stenosisand peripheral arterial disease.
Its so important to look atall of your symptoms and history and do a thorough examination, Dr. Khalafsays. Its how we can tell the difference between a back issue and a medicalcondition.
When Should I Call My Doctor
See your doctor if the angina becomes worse or occurs more often. Sometimes its hard to tell a severe attack of angina from a true heart attack. Call your doctor or 911 or go to a hospital emergency room right away if:
- You have chest discomfort with light-headedness
- You are sweating a lot during an attack of angina
- You have chest discomfort that lasts more than 10 minutes or goes away and comes back.
You still have pain 15 minutes after taking one nitroglycerine tablet every five minutes.
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Chronic Lbp And Other Coronary Heart Diseases In The Last Two Years
For the outcome of other coronary heart diseases in the last 2 years, the variables age, gender, smoking, leisure physical activity, and BMI were entered into the multivariate model for the total sample analysis. Chronic LBP was associated with a higher prevalence of other heart diseases in the last two years for the total sample . For the co-twin control analysis, a total of 344 pairs of twins were discordant for chronic LBP, with 230 pairs being DZ and 114 MZ. Gender , smoking, leisure physical activity and BMI were considered confounding variables and entered into the multivariate analysis. The magnitude of the association increased for MZ twins, although none of these analyses reached statistical significance .
Odds ratios and 95% CIs from multivariate models for the relationship between chronic LBP and other coronary heart diseaseslast 2 years.
Preventing Peripheral Arterial Disease
The advice for preventing PAD, or stopping it before it gets serious, is largely the same as the advice for preventing a heart attack or stroke: Quit smoking, eat healthier, get more exercise, control your blood sugar if you have diabetes, lose weight, and get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked. And ask your doctor if you should take a daily aspirin to prevent clots, or drugs to reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Even though PAD makes peoples legs hurt or feel tired when they walk or exercise a symptom that doctors call claudication which feels like a Charlie horse type cramp one of the best things to do is to walk more, says Stanley.
The more a patient walks, the more likely it is that they will develop little detour blood vessels, called collateral vessels, around the obstruction, he explains. The large majority of people can develop these vessels that will ease the pain.
But in some people, PAD has already gotten bad enough to cause pain or numbness even when the person is sleeping something called rest pain. Stanley says this pain often awakens patients from sleep. It most often occurs in the ball of the feet and may feel like someone has wrapped a bandage around the foot. This level of symptoms is ominous, he says, because it indicates a more severe blockage without adequate collateral vessels.
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Heart Attack Warning Signs And Symptoms: Chest Head Jaw And Tooth Pain
Chest discomfort, manifest as pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest
Chest pain is the hallmark symptom of a heart attack, although it can take many different forms. In other cases, chest pain may not occur at all. The characteristic chest pain of a heart attack has been described as a sense of pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain that starts in the center of the chest. The pain or discomfort typically lasts more than a few minutes, or it may go away and then return. It can spread down the arms, to the back, or to the head and neck. Both women and men report chest pain as a primary symptom of heart attack, but women more often than men are likely to have some of the other symptoms, such as nausea, jaw pain, or shortness of breath, that are described below.
Jaw pain, toothache, headache
The pain of a heart attack can spread down both arms, to the jaw or head, or to the back. Some people report tooth pain or headache as a symptom of a heart attack. It is possible to have these types of pain without chest pain during a heart attack.
Shortness of breath
Feeling short of breath or like you are gasping for air is a common symptom of a heart attack. Shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, is medically known as dyspnea. Shortness of breath may occur before or during the chest pain of a heart attack, and in some cases, it may be associated with other heart attack symptoms without any chest pain.
Jaw Pain Could Be Sign Of Serious Heart Condition
by Health Professional
Can pain in the jaw or teeth be an indication of a heart attack? How do I tell if a pain in my arm or shoulder is due to a heart condition?
These questions are quite common and frequently asked, and not always easily or correctly answered in magazines and journals. In fact, pain caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart can occur in many different forms. Although, once in a while, the location and description of the discomfort may be odd, but, fortunately, most of the time it is similar. The majority of the time patients describe a tightness, heaviness or constriction in the mid-chest or upper abdomen that appears to also be present in one or the other shoulder. The discomfort may also be noted in the upper biceps, elbow and wrist and on occasion may feel like it is “going through” to the back. Heart pain can also be noted in the jaw and teeth. It is more common for heart-related discomfort to affect the lower jaw than the upper jaw. Occasionally, the discomfort will not affect the chest or upper abdomen at all.
On the other hand, if walking fast aggravates the issue, or causes shortness of breath, I would be concerned. If the discomfort persists even when lying quietly, I would be concerned. And, if you are getting short of breath for any reason I would be concerned. On this latter point, shortness of breath is not the same as sighing. Sighing is more likely due to anxiety.
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Shoulder Pain And Heart Attack: How Are They Related
When the flow of blood to the heart is obstructed, mostly by fat build up, cholesterol, or other substances that form plague in the arteries leading to the heart, you suffer a heart attack. The blockage in the blood flow can destruct or damage part of the heart muscle. Also, referred to as a myocardial infraction, it can cause death. However, treatment has improved drastically over the years. If you experience a heart attack, dial 911 immediately. But many heart attack symptoms are confusing. For example, lots people just brush off shoulder pain causally and thinks they are nothing to worry about. But the truth is that it may indicate heart attack.
When To See The Doctor
Its important to call 911 immediately if you suspect a possible heart attack, which is a medical emergency that requires urgent treatment.
Routine physical exams and other preventive health care measures such as periodic blood pressure checks, diagnostic testing, etc., can also help identify risk factors for developing issues that may lead to heart disease and heart attack.
At Calvary Medical Clinic, we encourage individuals to come in any time they have concerns about their overall health. Schedule your visit today by the office location most convenient for you or requesting an appointment online. Were here to help.
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Other Heart Attack Early Warning Signs And Symptoms: Arm And Back Pain
Arm pain
The chest pain of a heart attack can spread, or radiate, down one or both arms and to the shoulders. This often happens, and the pain may even extend to the wrist and fingers. This is most common on the left side of the body but it can also occur on the right side.
Upper back pain
The upper back is another common location for the spread of the pain from a heart attack. Most commonly, back pain that stems from a heart attack is described as occurring between the shoulder blades.
General malaise
A feeling of being generally unwell or like you are coming down with an illness can accompany a heart attack. This can be described as fatigue or even lightheadedness, with or without fainting. Some people will experience severe anxiety or panic during a heart attack. This has been described as feeling a sense of doom, as one experiences a panic attack.
Sweating
Sweating, or perspiration, can accompany a heart attack. Some people have described feeling like they are breaking out in a cold sweat.
Chronic Lbp And Myocardial Infarction
For the outcome of lifetime myocardial infarction, the variables age, gender, smoking, leisure physical activity and BMI were entered into the multivariate model for the total sample analysis. Chronic LBP was associated with a higher prevalence of myocardial infarction for the total sample . For the co-twin control analysis, a total of 344 pairs of twins were discordant for chronic LBP, including 230 DZ and 114 MZ pairs. Gender , smoking, leisure physical activity and BMI were considered confounding variables and entered into the multivariate analysis. An increase in the magnitude of the association was observed when the analyses were separated for DZ and MZ twins , although none of these were statistically significant .
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Hairdresser And Chiropractor Cautions
You can also hyperextend your neck while tipping your head back to have your hair washed at a salon sink. Even though there are only a dozen or so such cases described in the medical literature, there’s a name for this phenomenon: “beauty parlor stroke syndrome.” To play it safe, do as Dr. Rost does. “Ask your hairdresser for a neck extension, which is a little cushion that props up your head so you don’t feel any strain on your neck,” she advises.
Not surprisingly, whiplash sustained during a car accident can also cause a cervical artery dissection. And in rare cases, so can the quick, thrusting neck movements some chiropractors and other health care professionals use to treat neck pain, known as cervical manipulative therapy or “adjustment.” However, it’s not clear whether the neck therapy itself causes the tear, or whether the pain from an existing tear might prompt people to seek out such treatment.
Preventing Heart Attacks By Understanding Cardiovascular Risks
Do you know that heart attacks have “beginnings” that can occur days or weeks before an actual attack? It is important to recognize these beginnings, with the help of an EHAC doctor, to help prevent the actual attack and its potential health consequences. People often mistake the early warning signs of a heart attack, such as chest pain, for heartburn or pulled a muscle. The unfortunate outcome is that many people wait too long before getting help.
At The Hospitals of Providence, we have an EHAC program delivered by a team of cardiologists, nurses and staff who are dedicated to helping men and women recognize the early warning signs of a heart attack. We provide care and treatment options for these signs and help prevent the emergency from happening.
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What Is Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease. Your coronary arteries are hollow tubes that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body.
Over time, fat and cholesterol, as well as inflammatory cells and cellular waste products, can build up along the arteries’ walls, forming a plaque of hardened material. It makes the walls more rigid and narrows the space through which blood can flow. This is known as atherosclerosis.
Because of the narrowing, the heart muscle can’t get the amount of blood or oxygen it needs. In addition, clots can form around the plaque if they break off, they can travel to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke, respectively.
According to the American Heart Association, back pain is one symptom of a heart attack in progress. Back pain can also indicate stable or unstable angina. If the pain comes on suddenly, go to the emergency room.
What Are The Early Signs Of A Heart Attack
There are heart attack symptoms in women that are different from heart attack symptoms in men. But the common signs and symptoms they usually share are as follows:
- Chest pain or discomfort: The discomfort usually lasts for more than a few minutes or it may go away and come back. The discomfort may feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain at the center of the chest.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: This may include pain or discomfort in the back, jaw, stomach or in one or both arms.
- Shortness of breath: This may occur with, before or without chest pain or discomfort.
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Nausea or light-headedness
Meanwhile, heart attack symptoms in women sometimes go unnoticed. These include the following:
- Back pain
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Pressure, fullness, squeezing pain in the center of the chest, spreading to the neck, shoulder or jaw
- Unusual fatigue
- Treating or managing conditions that can be a risk factors of heart attack such as diabetes
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Recognizing A Heart Attack
Study Sample And Data Collection
The study sample of this cross-sectional study originated from the Murcia Twin Registry in Spain and comprised of identical monozygotic and non-identical dizygotic twins born in multiple births between 1940 and 1966. A complete description of recruitment methods and waves of data collection implemented by the MTR are provided elsewhere . Briefly, baseline data collection on health-related information for the current study took place via standardized questionnaires between 2009 and 2011, for opposite sex, male-male, and female-female twin pairsfollowed for 2, 3 and 4 years respectively. Data collection took place by way of telephone or face-to-face interviews.
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