Heart attacks are acute events that rarely precede obvious warning signs, but symptoms can sometimes appear hours or weeks before a heart attack. Most healthcare organizations recommend paying attention to signs of shortness of breath, shoulder pain, or chest discomfort. Pain in the legs can also be an important sign of an impending heart attack, according to a study.
ATTENTION TO LEG PAIN
Body pain can reflect different types of vascular disease, depending on where it occurs in the body. For example, when it only affects the lower limbs, it may indicate blood flow problems due to peripheral artery disease. However, it is important to note that leg pain is not a sign of a heart attack, but can be a sign of heart disease.
A 2019 study published in JAMA Cardiology found that about five percent of people with PAD had a heart attack within 30 months. The study identified two types of heart attacks with type 1 myocardial infarction caused by acute thrombotic coronary events. Type 2 myocardial infarction tends to follow an acute imbalance between oxygen supply and demand.
The report states: “Advanced limb symptoms appeared to be a stronger predictor of type 2 myocardial infarction than type 1 myocardial infarction. In patients with PAD, myocardial infarction has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death and events requiring hospitalization.”
SYMPTOMS START DURING EXERCISE
Symptoms of PAH in its early stages can be infrequent, and most complications occur only during exercise and stop at rest. The Cleveland Clinic explains: “The first symptoms of PAD are usually pain, cramping, or discomfort in your legs or hips. This happens when you’re active and goes away at rest. ” However, as the condition progresses, limping may become evident at night when the body is completely relaxed.
CHAMBER CAN PROGRESS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS
This is a sign that arterial blockage is blocking blood flow to the extremities and depriving the limbs of oxygen. It should be noted that PAH tends to develop over decades, sometimes taking as long as 50 years to manifest symptomatically. PAD symptoms also represent a spectrum of disease severity, with some cases occurring asymptotically. In fact, about 20 to 50 percent of patients diagnosed with the condition are asymptomatic, despite showing obvious signs of illness when tested.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) states, “As the disease progresses and blood vessels narrow, arterial flow to the lower extremities worsens and symptoms may present as classic intermittent claudication or atypical claudication or leg discomfort. Intermittent claudication is defined as lower extremity discomfort, but does not resolve consistently with rest.” says.
The more advanced the disease, the more likely a person is to develop severe claudication that can reduce walking distance and cause pain when resting. The final stage of PAD – clinically termed critical limb ischemia – is defined as resting pain lasting longer than 14 days, ulceration or gangrenous tissue.