The recent death of 52-year-old former cricketer Shane Warne from a heart attack comes as a study reveals nearly half of all Australian men over the age of 35 surveyed are not confident of identifying a heart attack.
In addition, only a quarter of those who do exhibit symptoms seek help, according to the Royal Australian College of Physicians.
Mr Warne sadly died of a heart attack in a hotel bedroom in Koh Samui, Thailand, on 4 March. Many Australians have also been shocked by the death of Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching (pictured right), also 52, from a suspected heart attack in the Melbourne suburb of Strathmore, six days later.
The study, published in the RACP’s peer-reviewed scientific journal The Internal Medicine Journal, surveyed 153 Masters Age football players, aged over 35 years, playing on a scale of competitive to social games.
“Although regular exercise improves health, strenuous exercise causes a transient increase in cardiac risk. Being able to recognise the warning signs of an impending cardiac event is critical to mitigating those risks during exercise,” said Professor Geoffrey Tofler, senior author of the paper and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), and of University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital.
“The risks are elevated when accounting for participants with pre-existing risk factors like hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, smoker status, weight issues, and family history of heart disease.”
What are the warning signs of an impending heart attack?
Common heart attack signs and symptoms include:
- Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back;
- Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain;
- Shortness of breath;
- Cold sweat;
- Fatigue; and
- Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness.
Heart attacks can strike suddenly, but many people have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest warning might be recurrent chest pain or pressure (angina) that’s triggered by activity and relieved by rest. Angina is caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the heart.
All the more reason to be aware of the signs.
