People who experience upper body pain after exercising should seek immediate medical attention, as it could be a symptom of a heart condition, a Taoyuan-based cardiologist said.
Statistics released by the Taoyuan Department of Public Health showed that the number of people who suffered a heart attack last month rose 60 percent from September, which it attributed to a significant drop in early morning and nighttime temperatures.
Teng Yi-feng (鄧逸峰), a cardiologist at St Paul’s Hospital in Taoyuan, said that heart attack patients are getting younger.
Teng added that people often overlook symptoms of heart failure, such as toothaches and chest and shoulder pain.
Aside from the common symptoms of tightness and pain in the chest, people who experience pain in their left shoulder, neck, lower jaw or shoulder blade during strenuous physical activity might have heart problems, he said.
People might exhibit different symptoms, Teng said, citing one patient whose teeth would hurt every time he exercised.
These symptoms do not necessarily indicate an imminent heart attack, but those who experience such pain should consult a physician as soon as possible, he said.
People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes are at the greatest risk for heart disease, he said, adding that in many middle-aged patients the onset of heart disease is caused by smoking.
He cited the case of a 28-year-old patient who is heavy smoker. The patient had no other medical condition, but suffered repeated heart attacks, Teng said.
While the recent death of famous Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) singer Kuo Chin-fa (郭金發) — who collapsed onstage and died of cardiorespiratory failure — has increased public awareness of the dangers of heart disease, many people still think that taking sublingual tablets, coughing forcefully or resting will do the trick.
They might offer temporary relief, but people still need to seek medical treatment when heart failure occurs, he said.
If cardiopulmonary resuscitation is administered within one minute of a person losing consciousness or having a heart attack, the chance of survival increases to 90 percent, the department said, adding that for every minute thereafter that a person remains untreated, that survival rate decreases by 7 to 10 percent.
The department listed five important steps to take in emergency cases: Call out to the individual and check for consciousness, call 119 emergency services, apply pressure to the chest 30 times, administer artificial respiration and, finally, use an automated external defibrillator to restore normal heart function if one is available.
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