It is critical to preserve our hearts, and we do not mean metaphorically. The heart is the body’s lifeblood—the reason your brain receives oxygen to think, the reason your limbs are working, and the reason you live another day. However, heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Yet, if both illnesses are types of cardiac disease, what distinguishes them? A heart attack occurs when one of the heart’s arteries becomes suddenly blocked. This inhibits oxygenated blood from flowing, resulting in tissue death. Whereas heart failure is when the heart does not pump enough blood which is required.
Here’s everything you should know about heart attacks vs. heart failure, including symptoms, causes, treatments, and what you can do to reduce your risk and keep your heart healthy.
The most common heart attack symptoms differ significantly from those of heart failure. While chest pain is a common symptom of a heart attack, so are chest pressure, tightness, hurting, or a squeezing sensation that spreads through the left arm or into the jaw.
This is especially true for women, who are more prone to nausea or indigestion, cold sweats, and extreme, unexplained exhaustion. Shortness of breath, as well as lightheadedness or sudden dizziness, can be warning signs. Shortness of breath is the most prevalent heart failure symptoms, particularly during movement.
When the heart stops beating adequately, fluid builds around the lungs, causing you to feel breathless and, in later stages, to experience swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet.
Additional potential heart failure symptoms include a chronic cough, abdominal swelling, rapid, unexplained weight gain from fluid buildup, nausea, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, and a rapid or irregular pulse.
A number of factors have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and heart failure. This includes metabolic variables such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and obesity. Consuming heart-harming chemicals, such as smoke, has also been associated to both problems.
The following are the most significant risk factors for a heart attack:
A heart attack might be a substantial risk factor for developing heart failure. This is because an attack can harm the heart, causing it to pump less efficiently. Individuals who have had a heart attack are considerably more likely to develop the types of heart failure that cause the heart muscle to not compress tightly.
Additional common risk factors that might weaken the heart and contribute to heart failure are as follows:
Should you notice any troubling symptoms, such as new chest discomfort, shortness of breath, or a very high heart rate, you should take them seriously and go to the emergency department.
A heart attack is a medical emergency at all times. Heart failure, on the other hand, normally takes time to progress to its worst phases. Yet, persons with early heart failure symptoms sometimes begin to reduce their activities without recognizing it, so by the time they seek treatment, they require fast attention. Medication is the primary mode of treatment for heart failure.
While you can’t change all of the risk factors for a heart attack or heart failure, there are a few critical things you can do to lower your risk.