The uneasiness 38-year-old advertising
professional Sachin Anand experienced one
night at his Napean Sea Road home was
quickly attributed to the double burger and
'large' fries he had devoured that afternoon.
"I assumed it was acidity," he says of the six
month-old episode. "I thought an antacid
would clear the indigestion, and I even tried
throwing up, but couldn't."
Within minutes, Anand experienced a
shooting pain in his chest, which exacerbated,
while the feeling of nausea got worse. "His
jaw went stiff, and he went cold," recalls his
mother Renu, who rushed him to Breach
Candy hospital.
What Anand thought was indigestion was, in
fact, a massive heart attack says his
cardiologist Dr Dev Pahlajani. The chest pain,
he explains, was due to blockages caused by
fatty deposits in an artery, cutting off blood
supply to the heart. This is called myocardial
infarction and could prove to be fatal.
Although most people associate angina or
heart attack with excruciating pain in the
centre of chest or behind breast bone, it's
often that the body sends uncommon signals
of a heart attack, that patients are unable to
decipher. Dr Ajay Chaurasia, head of
cardiology at Topiwala National Medical
College and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital,
says, "Pain related to heart attack is usually
retrosternal or felt behind the breast bone,
and can mimic a heartburn caused by
oesophagitis or acidity."
We get the experts to highlight unusual signs
of a cardiac scare that should raise a red flag.
Sign 1: Constant burping
You may again mistake this for a
gastrointestinal problem, but Pahlajani warns
that belching, especially while walking, could
be a symptom of angina or heart trouble.
"This occurs due to the redistribution of
blood to the intestines and stomach just
before a heart attack," he says.
Sign 2: Persistent pain in gums, teeth
People with periodontal or gum disease are
nearly twice as likely to suffer heart disease
than those with healthy gums, warn doctors.
That's because the same bacteria that cause
gum disease can also spark inflammation
inside the body, damaging blood vessels. "So
also," says Chaurasia, "pain in heart can
radiate up to the jaw."
Don't ignore a toothache or pain behind the
ears. "Pain occurs in this region because of
the referred pain in the distribution of the
nerves that arise from the thoracic spine,"
explains Pahlajani. "Occasionally, some
patients also come to me with unexplained
headaches, especially in the occipital region
of the head."
Sign 3: Poor performance in bed
A poor heart condition, apart from
dyslipidemia or abnormal amount of
cholesterol and fat in the blood, uncontrolled
diabetes and hypertension, may also affect
your sexual performance. A man experiences
an erection when blood is pumped into the
penis. Difficulty in maintaining an erection is
on account of poor circulation. Clogged
arteries are where poor sexual performance
and heart disease meet. Arteries harden due
to buildup of plaque. The smaller arteries in
the body, such as those in the penis, are the
first to get plugged up. Plaque reduces blood
flow in the penis, making an erection
difficult. So, erectile dysfunction is an alert
to look for blockage in larger arteries, like in
the heart.
Sign 4: Exhaustion
If you feel tired all day and have difficulty
performing simple tasks like walking, climbing
stairs, driving or carrying groceries, visit a
cardiologist. "Low output of blood from the
heart, the body's pumping station, into the
rest of the body can be a sign too," says
Pahlajani.
The common signals
Shooting pain in chest and left arm: Occurs
because the same spinal segment supplies the
heart and left upper limb
Chest pain after a meal: Blood supply to
the intestines increases after meals in order
to help digest food, and therefore blood is
diverted from the heart to the intestine,
which precipitates chest pain, if there's a
blockage says Pahlajani
Excessive sweating and palpitation: A
feeling that you are skipping a heartbeat or
fluttering in the chest is a sign of arrhythmias
(irregular heart beat).
Sudden loss of consciousness, dizziness,
breathlessness with no chest pain
(common among diabetics)
The upside of a heart scare
The sudden heart attack Sachin Anand (right)
suffered has "positively" changed his life. The
advertising professional who kept irregular
work hours now sleeps for at least seven
hours every night, makes time for a one-hour
daily walk despite his hectic schedule. He has
ended up dropping 14 kilos. "I have given up
junk food, red meat, smoking, colas and
alcohol. Occasionally, I sip on a glass of red
wine," he says.
