Man Complains About Earache, Then Doctors Realize It’s His Heart
Summary
A cardiologist in North Carolina shared a story where a patient with an earache was actually having a heart attack. The doctor emphasized that heart problems can cause unusual symptoms and urged both doctors and patients to be aware of these atypical signs.Key Facts
- Cardiologist Kaustubh Dabhadkar works in Charlotte, North Carolina, and specializes in preventive cardiology.
- Typical heart attack symptoms include chest pressure that can spread to the arm or jaw.
- A study found that over 99% of people with heart disease or stroke had at least one risk factor like high blood pressure or smoking.
- Dabhadkar once treated a patient whose only symptom was pain in the ear lobe, which turned out to be a heart attack.
- An EKG test showed a major artery in the heart was closing, which stopped the ear pain once opened.
- Heart pain nerves share connections with areas like the chest, arms, jaw, and even ear lobes, causing "referred pain" where the brain mistakes the source.
- About one-third of heart attack patients do not have chest pain, especially older adults over 85.
- Unusual symptoms of a heart attack can include cold sweats, nausea, breathlessness, heavy fatigue, or pain in the jaw, teeth, throat, or upper back.
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