Cardiovascular diseases prevail as one of the main reasons for global deaths. India is counted among the country with the highest number of CVD sufferers ranging from a rise of 2.26 million deaths in the year 1990 to approximately 4 million deaths in 2020.

The healthcare professionals suggest that awareness should be there regarding the knowledge of warning signs and instant first aid. According to a news report, in Kolkata, a college student collapsed during an event because of cardiac arrest but he died by the time he was taken to a cardiac hospital in Kolkata.

Doctors claim that if the student was given CPR, the moment he started showing the warning signs, his life could have been saved. People have created an unrealistic perception about heart attacks as intense unbearable pain in the chest and seizures.

However, heart attacks can begin with comparatively mild symptoms. Therefore, it is important to have substantial knowledge about the warning signs so that the ones in need can be helped and lives can be saved.

Warning Signs Before a Heart Attack

• Most heart attacks or cardiac arrests begin with mild discomfort in the center of the chest and can last up to 5 to 7 minutes. The feeling of discomfort can be described as squeezing sensations, pressure on the chest area, and breathlessness. It is often in this stage that people tend to avoid the symptoms and invite risks. Early signs, even though mild ones, should not be avoided.
• The discomfort often extends to either side of the body, mostly beginning with the arm, neck, back, stomach, or even jaw.
• Inability to breathe is also a major warning sign that is often accompanied by chest pain. All the warning signs don’t necessarily appear in a specific series but can show up randomly in varied intensity. Sometimes, a mild heart attack is ignored because the signs are relatively bearable. But the risks for people who have had a heart attack once in their lives can have it again with greater intensity.
• Some of the other signs can include a feeling of dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, and cold sweat.

The most important question concerning CVDs is what causes a heart attack in the first place? There are several factors that can cause CVD, these are, high blood pressure, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity.

But the lack of awareness and seriousness regarding heart-related issues often leads to treatment delays and fatal consequences.

A healthcare expert from a cardiac hospital in Kolkata suggested that it is best to keep contact details of emergency personnel with oneself as they are specifically skilled to deal with issues like that and have the necessary equipment to treat the patients.

It is also advisable to have conversations with the doctors about the warning signs and instant first aid to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Other than having necessary knowledge about the warning signs of a heart attack it is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid CVDs.

A healthy lifestyle consists of a nutritional diet, keeping one’s body fit and active by doing regular workouts, avoiding harmful activities like smoking, alcohol consumption, and consumption of other substances. Timing is everything in the case of heart attacks, timely action can save many lives.