There are six surprising signs that warn of serious heart trouble.
Don’t assume that the absence of the classic chest pain and trouble breathing mean there can’t be anything wrong with your heart.
These signs of heart problems are surprising to laypeople, not doctors.
Puffy Feet, Ankles, Swollen Legs
No, this isn’t a normal byproduct of age. Edema has several benign causes, but congestive heart failure is one of the serious causes.
Edema. Shutterstock/Valerio Pardi
“Congestive heart failure can just cause edema and no other symptoms if it is due to purely right sided failure,” says Sameer Sayeed, MD, a cardiologist with ColumbiaDoctors of Somers, NY.
Back Discomfort
A problem with the heart can radiate pain or aching to the back. Sometimes the discomfort is more of a pressure sensation.
Shutterstock/BLACKDAY
If it’s associated with exercise, it may be heart related, but may also mean a back strain. If it’s associated with mental stress, this could also indicate a heart issue.
If it’s brought on only be certain movements or positions, it’s more likely to be musculoskeletal.
Cramping in the Stomach
Surprise! Who’d ever think that stomach cramps could be caused by a heart issue?
Shutterstock/Dragana Gordic
Discomfort in the belly has a ton of causes (both serious and benign), so it goes without saying: Unexplained stomach cramps or pain mean a visit to the doctor.
Dizziness
This, too, can result from a cardiac valvular problem.
Don’t take these potential warning signs of a heart problem lightly. Even a physically fit person can develop a cardiac rhythm disorder or have a congenital heart problem that has remained silent for years. And side effects of some medications can disturb heart rhythm.
Exhaustion
Shutterstock/Miss Ty
This has a ton of causes. When exhaustion occurs without rhyme or reason, out of proportion to the level of physical exertion, there may be a serious problem – with the heart.
Exhaustion from a heart ailment occurs because for any number of possible reasons, the heart isn’t getting adequate blood throughout the body.
Headache
Some people immediately fear a brain tumor when a headache arises, and very few people will ever worry that this means something might be wrong with their heart.
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In the case of a heart ailment, a headache or pain in the head would be accompanied by other suspicious symptoms such as sudden facial numbness/paralysis, sudden one-side limb paralysis or weakness, sudden slurred speech or sudden visual disturbance.
Sound familiar? Dangerously clogged coronary arteries could result in a blood clot traveling to the brain and causing a stroke or transient ischemic attack – both of which could cause head pain.
“In certain patients populations, particularly diabetic patients, women and elderly (age>80 years), the heart attack or myocardial infarction may present with atypical or uncommon symptom complex such as noted above,” points out Asim Cheema, MD, who’s board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Cheema is with Your Doctors Online, an online doctor chat site.
“These complaints may be present in isolation or in combination,” adds Dr. Cheema.
Dr. Sayeed performs echocardiograms and stress tests at the Midtown Manhattan and Westchester offices at Columbia Doctors. He is also trained in cardiac CT imaging.
