{ AWARENESS } Health Check Symptoms you should never ignore
As you age, your risk for many illnesses and condi- tions increases, including everything from hearing loss to more serious problems such as heart and kidney disease. Having an annual physical exam is one important step toward ensuring that any health problems that may occur are caught early on — before major complications develop. It’s also important to be alert to changes in your body and how you’re feeling that may signal some- thing is amiss, and to know when it’s necessary to see your healthcare provider to have these symp- toms checked out.
Some symptoms that you should never ignore — along with what they might actually mean — follow.
Chest Pain
There are many kinds of chest pain, along with dif- ferent reasons it may occur, ranging from minor (gas buildup in the abdomen) to life-threatening (a signal
that a heart attack is imminent or occurring). Chest pain can feel like a sharp stab, a dull ache or a feeling of pressure, as if your chest is being squeezed. The pain can also move up into your neck and/or jaw and then down into your back or your arms. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), this can occur when the heart muscle fails to get enough oxygen-rich blood because one or more coronary artery is clogged. A lung infection, a pulmonary embolism and even a panic attack may also cause chest pain, as can other types of heart disease. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to tell by the type of chest pain you are experiencing what’s causing it — and something as serious as a heart attack can easily be mistaken for indigestion. Therefore, the AHA recommends having any type of chest pain checked out by your provider immediately, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms of heart failure, such as those listed as you read on.
