A woman is waiting for bus at a bus stop.
Suddenly, she crutches her heart and starts grasping for breath. She moans in pain and eventually collapses to the ground.
A passer-by sees the woman laying on ground. He quickly runs toward the woman, then whips out his smartphone and starts dialing 991 to call for an ambulance.
This is how heart attack scenes are usually depicted on TV shows like Greg’s Anatomy, and most people having never seen a heart attack in real life, believe what they see on TV to be true.
While most TV shows and movies over-dramatize heart attack symptoms, they are more subtle in reality.
Most people recognize the most common heart attack symptoms like crushing chest pain, bending over, profuse sweating, and fainting, but do not recognize the lesser known symptoms.
According to an article published by Straits Times, most Singaporeans are unaware that men and women can experience different heart attack symptoms. Compared to men, women are more likely to experience lightheaded, nausea, shortness of breath, neck tightness, and jaw tightness. In fact, some heart attack victims visit the dentist thinking that they are suffering from toothaches.
On top of that, compared to men, women are more likely to suffer heart attacks later in life, usually after menopause, as lower oestrogen levels are a factor in increased heart attack risk.
It is important that we recognize the early symptoms and signs of heart attack, so that early treatment can be done to prevent full blown heart attack.
Not feeling yourself lately? Get a check up if these warning signs appear. After all, prevention is better than cure.
