Microvascular Angina: Why Women Shouldnt Ignore Chest Pain And Fatigue
A sharp twinge, a sense of heaviness weve all felt chest pain from time to time. Sometimes its indigestion or a panic attack. But other times, its more serious.
Microvascular angina is an especially worrisome source of cardiac chest pain, and its often misdiagnosed because it doesnt show up as a blockage in the larger heart arteries during testing. This fact can cause doctors to miss the underlying cause.
Its concerning because the problem can be missed. It doesnt show up on a traditional angiogram, which can lead to delayed diagnosis if physicians dismiss the chest pain as nothing, says Erin Michos, M.D., associate director of preventive cardiology at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
This chest pain in one of the hearts arteries is more common in women than in men, says Michos.
How Would You Describe Fatigue Associated With Pots
People with POTS experience fatigue differently. Many describe it as feeling beyond exhausted. Its as if your energy is completely depleted. The fatigue is probably hundreds of times worse than your worst flu. People with POTS may also have trouble concentrating and thinking straight. Doing simple tasks may feel like youve just run a marathon.
This fatigue might come and go, hitting you without warning daily, weekly or less frequently. For some people, extreme fatigue lasts for days. Others may experience periodic attacks. It can come on at any moment even if you just woke up. And there is no amount of sleep or coffee that can make it go away.
Fatigue And Shortness Of Breath Are Not Signs Of Aging
Have you noticed your energy level is lower and you are more short of breath even when performing the normal activities in your daily life? Dont ignore these feelings, or chalk them up to getting old. This is not a normal part of the aging process. It is your body telling you that it is struggling, maybe even with something as serious as a heart attack.
Shortness of breath and fatigue are frequently experienced by patients prior to having a heart attack. But you may not be aware just how far in advance these symptoms start to show. Its not necessarily a matter of minutes or hours. Many people who survive a heart attack start feeling as if something is not right several weeks, or even months, prior to the episode.
If the heart cannot supply itself with enough blood due to narrowed or blocked arteries, all of your body organs will suffer. These symptoms may progress at such a slow rate that they go unrecognized over time. Ive had many patients tell me they had been less active in the past month or two because of fatigue and shortness of breath. But they just didnt think about it in relation to heart disease until after they had a heart attack.
Women need to be especially aware of these symptoms. We are more likely to experience fatigue and loss of breath leading up to a heart attack than men are. While chest pressure remains the most common symptom of heart disease, it is not always the most limiting.
Read Also: Living With Chronic Pain And Fatigue
Is Surprising Or Sudden Weight Gain Serious
Dramatic, unexplained changes in weight can be a sign of a serious health problem. For example, weight loss can be a sign of cancer, while weight gain may be a warning sign of heart failure or thyroid issues. If you experience new bloating or distension in your midsection that is persistent, it could be a sign of ovarian cancer, says Dr. Baechler. Ovarian cancer is uncommon, yet bloating is often one of the first symptoms.
If you have weight gain along with swelling in both of your legs and shortness of breath when you lie flat, you could be showing signs of heart failure, says Ashley Simmons, MD, medical director of the University of Kansas Hospital’s Adelaide C. Ward Women’s Heart Health Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Rapid weight gain, swelling, and retention of fluid can occur when your heart doesnt pump fluid as efficiently as it should.
What Can Shortness Of Breath And Nausea Indicate
If the two symptoms occur together, you should seek medical help for diagnosis and treatment. Possible causes of these two symptoms include:
1. Gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining. Common signs of gastritis include abdominal pain located in the upper part, bloating, nausea and vomiting, indigestion, heartburn, hiccups, loss of appetite, a burning sensation between two meals, black tarry stools, etc. In certain cases, additional symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, etc., may occur.
You should seek immediate medical help in cases when you vomit blood, your vomit has a yellow or green color, or you have rapid heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and abdominal pain.
2. Panic Attack
A panic attack is characterized by a sudden and intense fear without any real danger. People when undergoing a panic attack feel that they will die soon due to a heart attack. It is impossible to predict a panic attack as it starts suddenly without any warning. Common signs and symptoms of a panic attack include:
- Rapid heartbeat
- A feeling of unreality
3. Heart Attack
Another cause of shortness of breath and nausea is heart attack. A heart attack is a serious and life-threatening medical condition which requires immediate medical help.
Common symptoms of a heart attack include:
Recommended Reading: Does Low Potassium Cause Fatigue
Recommended Reading: Does Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Fatigue
Chest Pain Pressure And Discomfort
Most people with heart attacks experience some sort of chest pain or discomfort. But its important to understand that chest pains dont occur in every heart attack.
Chest pain is a common sign of a heart attack. People have described this sensation as feeling like an elephant is standing on their chest.
Some people dont describe chest pain as pain at all. Instead, they may say they felt chest tightness or squeezing. Sometimes this discomfort can seem bad for a few minutes and then go away. Sometimes the discomfort comes back hours or even a day later. These could all be signs your heart muscle isnt getting enough oxygen.
If you experience chest pains or tightness, you or someone around you should call 911 immediately.
Pain and tightness can also radiate in other areas of the body. Most people associate a heart attack with pain working its way down the left arm. That can happen, but pain can also appear in other locations, including:
American Heart Association , some women may even think their heart attack symptoms are flu-like symptoms.
A heart attack can cause exhaustion due to the extra stress on your heart to try to pump while an area of blood flow is blocked. If you often feel tired or exhausted for no reason, it could be a sign that something is wrong.
Also Check: Will Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Fatigue
Formation Of Subgroups With Excessive Daytime Sleepiness And Severe Fatigue
There is only a slight connection between excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue thus, a prediction of excessive daytime sleepiness from fatigue and vice versa is not possible. It is, therefore, useful to study excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue as independent factors.
Four patient groups were formed to estimate the risks for excessive daytime sleepiness and severe fatigue. Group 1 consisted of 878 patients in whom neither fatigue nor daytime sleepiness showed excessive levels. Group 2 consisted of 122 patients with excessive daytime sleepiness, and group 3 included 123 patients with severe fatigue. Seventy-four patients of group 4 were characterized as having both severe fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. A ranking of the 4 groups cannot be performed therefore, 3 binary prediction models for excessive daytime sleepiness and severe fatigue were developed individually and in combination.
Also Check: Extreme Fatigue During The Day
What Else Could It Be
The symptoms of ME/CFS are similar to those of other conditions.
If you think you may have ME/CFS it’s important to see a GP to make sure you get a correct diagnosis. A GP should also be able to refer you to a ME/CFS specialist if they think it would help you.
Page last reviewed: 29 October 2021 Next review due: 29 October 2024
When Should I See A Doctor
If shortness of breath keeps you from doing your regular daily activities, thatâs reason enough to call the doctor. But definitely schedule an appointment if you have trouble breathing along with any of these symptoms:
- Shortness of breath when youâre resting or lying down
- Fever, chills, night sweats
Also Check: Does Ra Fatigue Go Away
Despite Recovering From Covid
Advanced testing of the heart and lungs may reveal why some people who have recovered from COVID-19 still have shortness of breath. This testing is highly specialized and available only at a few sites nationwide, including at Yale.
Many patients continue to have ongoing symptoms well after their initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms are not limited to those who required hospitalization or ICU admission and commonly occur in those with a history of mild COVID-19. Patients often have normal findings on tests such as lung function testing, chest X rays or CT scans. Physicians at the Winchester Center for Lung Disease have been exploring additional ways to evaluate patients with post-COVID-19 conditions, who are also known as Long Haulers.
Singh and colleagues, including PVDP Associate Director Phillip Joseph, MD, recently published original research in CHEST Journal in which they discussed how patients who have recovered from mild cases of COVID-19 without cardiopulmonary disease have a marked reduction in their peak oxygen consumption. Singh said this is because of impaired oxygen extraction by the muscles.
The team is planning more studies. Were drawing blood when the patients are at rest and at the peak of exercise to see if theres any circulating biomarker that could explain our findings, said Singh.
Narcissists Only Think Of Themselves
Excessive mucus production, shortnessofbreath, and cough are the other classic symptoms of asthma. But in cough-variant asthma, coughing is the only symptom. In most cases, cough-variant asthma produces a persistent, dry cough that occurs around the clock but may begin at night. A 49-year-old woman, who has had a past history of Raynaud’s phenomenon since 1981, dry mouth since 1987 and dry eyes since 1990, was admitted to our hospital complaining of general fatigue, bilateral gonalgia, and shortness of breath in April 1991. Physical examinations revealed bilateral parotid gland enlargement and bilateral uveitis. The side effects are getting worse, extreme fatigue, really dry mouth, strong food reaction and now reaction to cold and mild cramping. I’m also experiencing shortness of breath. I’ve have shortness of breath when climbing stairs or really exerting myself but now I’m out of breath just getting up from a sitting position and walking into the next room.
wellness recovery action plan examples
Also Check: Can Basal Cell Carcinoma Cause Fatigue
What Can I Expect While Recovering From Covid
Everyone will have a different experience in their recovery from COVID-19. Some people may recover in days, some in weeks. But for others, it could be months. Although each case is unique, people recovering from more severe symptoms are likely to face a longer recovery period.
Schedule regular appointments with your GP to discuss your symptoms and how best to manage them. Your GP will tell you about any medicines that might suit your needs.
Common symptoms you may experience during your recovery:
- change in sense of taste or smell
- anxiety and/or low mood
If you have any of the following symptoms, immediately for an ambulance and tell the phone operator you’ve previously been diagnosed with COVID-19:
- severe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- severe chest pain or pressure
- a new or returning fever
- worsening ability to concentrate and increased confusion
- difficulty waking up
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has also created a guide for patients on managing mild post COVID-19 symptoms. This includes advice on managing fatigue, easing muscle and joint pain, and managing a cough or any breathlessness.
Shortness Of Breath Jaw Pain Fatigue: 3 Common Symptoms That Women Shouldnt Ignore
Between working, childcare, and yes, even scheduling doctors appointments for spouses and parents, that fatigue or pesky jaw pain is simply brushed off by many women.
And while many symptoms may be nothing more than a passing discomfort, there are other times when it may be a sign that there is something more serious going on.
Its important for women to understand that theres no duration of a symptom that automatically makes it a red flag other than crushing chest pain, some things can wait, said NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar. There are also very benign explanations for a lot of things as well as more serious explanations.
Whats important is to first, be aware of what you’re feeling and take note of what’s normal for your body, and second, seek answers from your healthcare provider when something does feel off.
Here are three symptoms that women shouldnt ignore:
Also Check: Can You Test For Adrenal Fatigue
Who Is At Greater Risk Of Long Covid
Studies have shown that people are at higher risk of long COVID-19 if they:
- had severe illness during the acute COVID-19 illness phase, including those who needed intensive care
- have underlying conditions or diseases for example, respiratory disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, post-organ transplantation or active cancer
Pots: A Little Known Cause Of Extreme Fatigue
Everyone knows what being tired feels like at the end of a long day. But some people experience fatigue so severe and so seemingly random that its hard to describe. If that sounds familiar, there could be more going on than daily stress.
While there are many causes of fatigue, one of them is frequently missed and misdiagnosed: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome . Physical medicine and neuromuscular specialist Tae Chung, M.D., answers questions about POTS and extreme fatigue as one of its symptoms.
Dont Miss: Whats Causing My Fatigue
Don’t Miss: Can Lack Of Exercise Cause Fatigue
Healthwhy Early Coronavirus Cases May Have Been Missed
Since that report, other symptoms related to COVID-19 have emerged.
Many patients who’ve either tested positive for the coronavirus, or have been told by their physicians to assume they have it, also develop a headache and sore throat. Others become sick to their stomach with nausea or diarrhea.
Some patients say they have no interest in eating. Many report they’re losing their senses of taste and smell, the British Rhinological Society said recently.
Just this week, a small study published in JAMA Ophthalmology added another potential COVID-19 warning sign: pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis. A third of the 38 patients in the report had the inflammatory eye condition.
But it’s also becoming more clear that some infected people spreading the virus don’t have any symptoms at all.
Can Anyone Experience Lingering Covid
When it comes to the life-threatening cases of COVID-19, doctors expect people who were hospitalized for severe pneumonia or stroke to need specialized care and frequent follow-up after being discharged.
But, although not completely defined just yet, post-COVID syndrome isn’t exclusive to people who experienced organ damage during their illness. It’s also not exclusive to people whose symptoms warranted a trip to the emergency room.
“Post-COVID syndrome can be seen in people who went to the ER with concerning symptoms or who had advanced symptoms that required a brief hospital stay, but it can also occur in people who had mild symptoms and self-treated at home,” warns Dr. Lahoti. “The important thing to note is that these are people who might not have required care from a specialist during their actual illness, but may now benefit from specialized care as these lingering symptoms continue to affect their daily lives.”
The actual frequency of post-COVID syndrome is still largely up for debate, and different studies find this condition to be more or less common in various groups of people.
“Some studies show that only 10% of people with COVID will go on to develop post-COVID syndrome, while other studies are showing much higher percentages some even suggest that up to 70% of people experience persistent symptoms,” says Dr. Lahoti.
According to Dr. Lahoti, there are hints and suggestions as to who’s most likely to develop lingering symptoms, though.
Recommended Reading: Chronic Sore Throat And Fatigue
Indirect Consequences Of Stress And Anxiety
The way we breathe is a powerful aspect of self-expression. Anxiety, emotional constipation, and other habits of mind and dysfunctional and self-limiting behavioural patterns might be associated with strong breathing patterns, especially shallow breathing.
Shallow breath is what we do when we literally hide . It is also what we do when we feel like we want to hide! Deep breathing is one of the main practical suggestions for fighting anxiety. Its a feedback loop.
Habitually breathing shallowly can be so subtle for so long that we dont even realize theres a problem until all the contributing factors and bad habits and vicious cycles are too deeply entrenched to break free a classic boiling frog kind of problem.
All of this is a rather complicated mess to try to sort out, but Im not going to leave you hanging. Here are several relevant, practical self-help articles. They all focus on what you can do about these issues:
Persistent Leg Pain On One Side May Be A Blood Clot
Swelling and pain in one leg that doesn’t go away may signal that you have a blood clot inside a vein, known as deep vein thrombosis . These signs should be tended to at once, particularly if youre at higher risk for DVT. Risk factors that make DVT blood clots more likely get riskier with age. These include smoking, having surgery, being on estrogen-containing pills or hormone therapy, being immobile for a long period of time , being pregnant, and recently giving birth. A life-threatening pulmonary embolism can occur when a blood clot moves from one part of your body to your lungs and blocks a vital artery there. According to Dr. Simmons, about 70 percent of blood clots that travel to the lungs begin in the legs.
Don’t Miss: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Ms
