{"id":1096,"date":"2020-07-08T23:20:06","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T22:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.duelltraining.co.uk\/?p=1096"},"modified":"2025-10-28T12:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T12:46:28","slug":"heart-attack-could-you-spot-the-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/influence360training.co.uk\/index.php\/2020\/07\/08\/heart-attack-could-you-spot-the-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"First Aid: Could You Spot The Signs Of A Heart Attack?"},"content":{"rendered":"[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.9″ hover_enabled=”0″ background_color=”#435664″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.9″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″]\n

Do you know the signs of a Heart Attack?<\/h1>\n

According to BUPA UK, 175,000 heart attacks occur in the UK every year. So it\u2019s no surprise that a heart attack (or Myocardial Infarction) is one of the leading causes of death.<\/p>\n

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On average, men suffer more heart attacks than women. And there can be gender differences in the symptoms too.But what are the signs of a heart attack? And what should you do when someone is having one?<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s what we\u2019re going to look at now. Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

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The Signs of a Heart Attack<\/h4>\n

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What is the main sign of a heart attack?<\/p>\n

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\"heart<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s chest pain, right? Well, you\u2019re technically not wrong. But you\u2019re not 100% right either. There can be no chest pain, or a silent attack.<\/p>\n

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The important thing to mention about chest pain and heart attacks is that although the person affected is having problems in their chest area, it isn\u2019t actually painful. What you need to listen out for instead is when someone says their chest \u201cfeels heavy\u201d, or \u201clike someone is sitting on my chest\u201d which means it takes a lot of effort to take a breath.<\/p>\n

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Back Pain and Heart Attacks<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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When delivering First Aid courses to people who have helped someone who has had a heart attack, many people give a different answer: back pain.<\/p>\n

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This worries me. Mainly because the majority of people I teach are in the care industry who, because of the hard and tireless work they do, often suffer from back problems already. And more broadly, most of us have back problems in some way or another.<\/p>\n

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Why does this worry me? A heart attack is a medical emergency and every second counts. So imagine the damage done by delaying putting out a call because a heart attack is mistaken for back pain. This might seem shocking, but I probably hear about this delay once a month on First Aid courses \u2013 far too often for my liking.<\/p>\n

So, please, if you spot any of the other symptoms then do not delay in calling 999.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Other Symptoms<\/h4>\n

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The other typical signs around heart attack are:<\/p>\n

– Shock based (Cardiogenic)
– Lack of oxygen (Cyanosis)<\/p>\n

In these cases, you will see colour changes on a person\u2019s face. They\u2019ll go pale, will look cold and have bluish lips.<\/p>\n

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Differences Between Men and Women<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Although men and women can show the same symptoms of heart attack, I have spoken to several nurses who explain their experiences with women.<\/p>\n

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\"heart<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Typically, women get a dull pain in their arm, which then shoots up across their shoulders, neck, and then their jawline. The pain isn\u2019t that intense either.\u00a0 For this reason, it is more likely that a heart attack in women can go unnoticed than in a man.<\/p>\n

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If your work colleague or a family member is feeling unwell, goes pale, sweaty and experiences pain around their upper body – make a call to get advice.<\/p>\n

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Angina Attack<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t talk about heart attacks without mentioning Angina \u2013 which often isn\u2019t a medical emergency. The tricky thing with angina attacks is that the symptoms can be identical to a heart attack, such as heaviness on the chest, pain in the arms, shoulders, neck and jaw.<\/p>\n

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How Can You Tell The Difference?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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There are two differences that may help you decide:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Angina attacks calm down naturally (after about ten minutes), but a heart attack won\u2019t.<\/li>\n
  2. Heart attacks start suddenly without warning, but an angina attack will not.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Angina attacks can be caused by things like:<\/p>\n

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