A heart attack occurs when your heart doesn’t receive enough blood supply, as the arteries carrying oxygen and nutrients are blocked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), somebody suffers a heart attack every 40 seconds. Not all heart attacks are intense, and someone may have suffered a minor heart attack without realizing it.
This article will discuss how to tell that you may have suffered a minor or mild heart attack.
What Is a “Small Heart Attack?”
A mild or mini heart attack is known as non-ST elevation myocardial infarction or NSTEMI. This is when the artery is only partially blocked. The symptoms are not as long-lasting as a major heart attack, and the heart may only experience minimal damage and still pump as usual.
Signs of a Mild Heart Attack
Harvard Medical School says that nearly 50% of people who have a heart attack don’t realize it at the time. Damage to the heart is found by recording the heart’s electrical activity or other tests.
Symptoms you may physically experience include:
· Neck or Jaw Pain
This subtle sign of a heart attack is prevalent in women. The pain may be felt in the lower-left area of the jaw. It might be a sudden pain during the night or worsen with exercise.
· Shortness of Breath
If you frequently experience shortness of breath without chest pain, you should get your heart checked out. This could be caused by a condition in which the lungs are filled with fluid after a cardiac arrest has damaged heart tissue. The condition is known as pulmonary edema.
· Mild Chest Discomfort
According to Harvard Medical School, only 50% of heart attacks result in serve chest pain. Instead, you may only feel mild discomfort, squeezing, or tightness in the chest area.
· Fatigue or Dizziness
A damaged heart will have problems pumping blood throughout the body, especially the brain. This can cause dizziness, light-headedness, or fatigue. It’s a good idea to get yourself checked out if you’re experiencing unexplained dizziness or fatigue.
What Should You Do?
Call 911 or get to an emergency room as soon as possible if you or someone you know has symptoms consistent with a heart attack. The quicker emergency care is received, the higher the chances of suffering less permanent damage to the heart.
