9 Warning Signs Tell you That Your Heart Doesn’t Work The Way It Should

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention around 610,000 people die of heart-related problems each year in the US alone. Both men and women are afflicted by heart disease due to various reasons that are connected with a certain lifestyle. However, there are many signs and warnings that inform us about heart trouble that we should be more than aware of.

We have collected 9 very common heart disease warning signs that you should pay attention to if you notice them.

1. Pain that spreads to the arm

In cases of heart attacks, pain in the arm is a common symptom, though it presents differently between men and women. Men typically report pain specifically in the left arm, while women may experience discomfort in one or both arms. Additionally, some women have reported unusual elbow pain prior to experiencing a heart attack, which can serve as an early warning sign.

This pain occurs due to a phenomenon called referred pain. When the heart is in distress, pain signals travel through the spinal cord, where many of the body’s nerves converge. As a result, the brain can misinterpret these signals, perceiving pain in areas like the arm rather than directly at the source, the heart. This neurological “confusion” is why arm pain can be an indicator of a heart problem even though the arm itself is not injured. Recognizing this referred pain, especially when unusual or combined with other symptoms, can be crucial for early detection of a heart attack.