If new or unexplained chest pressure or discomfort occurs, particularly when accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, back, or neck, emergency medical evaluation is important.
Do not assume that you can determine the cause yourself.
Heart attacks require rapid treatment, and waiting to see whether the symptoms disappear can be dangerous.
2. Unusual Shortness of Breath
Feeling out of breath after intense exercise is normal.
Becoming short of breath during ordinary activities that previously felt easy is different.
For example, someone might notice that walking across a room, climbing a small number of stairs, getting dressed, or doing routine household tasks suddenly requires much more effort.
Shortness of breath can occur with heart problems because the heart and lungs work closely together.When the heart cannot circulate blood efficiently, pressure can build up in the blood vessels of the lungs, potentially contributing to breathing difficulty.
But heart disease is not the only possible cause.
Breathlessness can also result from:
Asthma
Lung infections
Chronic lung disease
Anemia
Anxiety
Poor physical conditioning
Obesity
Certain medications
Other medical conditions
That is why persistent or unexplained shortness of breath deserves an appropriate medical evaluation rather than an assumption about its cause.
Shortness of Breath While Lying Down
One particularly important pattern is difficulty breathing when lying flat.
Some people with heart failure find that they need several pillows to sleep comfortably because lying down makes breathing harder.
Others may wake suddenly during the night feeling unable to breathe.
This does not prove that someone has heart failure, but it is a symptom worth discussing with a healthcare professional.
A new or rapidly worsening breathing problem should
