Dyspnea, or
 breathlessness, is a strong feeling of being unable to draw a deep breath. It often occurs among both men and women for up to 6 months prior to having a heart attack. It’s usually a warning sign of a medical condition.
- Description:Â Feeling like you can’t get enough air, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
4. Hair loss
Losing your hair is considered to be just another visible indicator of the risk of heart disease. Most commonly it affects men over 50, but some women may also be in the risk group. Baldness is also associated with an increased level of the hormone cortisol.
- Description:Â Pay close attention to losing hair from the crown of your head.
3. Irregular heartbeat
Skipped beats or arrhythmias are often accompanied by a panic attack and anxiety, especially among women. It appears unexpectedly and reveals itself differently: arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) or tachycardia (increased heart rate). Physical exercises might give an extra stimulus to the increase of heart rate, especially in cases with atherosclerosis disease.
- Description:Â The irregular heartbeat lasts for 1-2 minutes. If it doesn’t fade, you might feel dizziness and extreme fatigue. Call the doctor right away.
2. Excessive perspiration
Unusual or excessive sweating is an early warning sign of a heart attack. It might occur at any time of the day or night. This symptom affects women more often and is usually confused with the hot flashes or night sweats typical of menopause.
- Description:Â Flu-like symptoms, clammy skin, or sweatiness occurring regardless of air temperature or physical exertion. Sweating seems to be more excessive at night; the bedsheets might be damp by morning.
1. Chest pain
Men and women experience chest pains in different intensities and forms. In men, this symptom refers to the most important early signs of an impending heart attack that should not be ignored. On the other hand, it affects only 30% of women.
- Description:Â Chest pain can expand to uncomfortable sensations in one or both arms (more often the left one), the lower jaw, neck, shoulders, or stomach. It may have a permanent or temporary character.
Risk factors
We all know about the most common risk factors, like obesity, lack of physical exercise, and smoking. However, there are some often-missed indicators that might improve your health awareness and help you prevent a heart attack.
- Earlobe crease (presence of an earlobe crease that lies diagonally from the ear canal).
- Yellow patches on the inside corners of the eyelids.
- Light soreness in the calf muscles brought on by walking.
- Ear canal hair (among men).
- Early hair graying (among men).
