The heart attack abdominal mask is a symptom of a heart attack. They are not typical for a heart attack, but for diseases of the digestive system, so a heart attack may be mistaken for them. This significantly delays diagnosis and increases the risk of death. Check how to recognize the so-called heart attack abdominal mask.
Heart attack abdominal mask - what is it?
Heart attack abdominal maskis a complex of unusual symptoms of a heart attack. Myocardial necrosis most often presents with pain behind the sternum, which is usually described as sharp and crushing, and shortness of breath. However, in some people, especially the elderly or those struggling with diabetes, a heart attack may not cause typical symptoms.
Heart attack abdominal mask - how to recognize?
The abdominal mask of a heart attack is characterized by:
- upper abdominal pain (mainly under the right costal arch), but the pain is milder than that in the course of a classic heart attack
- nausea and vomiting and related weakness
These are symptoms indicative of an infarction of the lower wall of the heart - that is, the one that adjoins the abdominal cavity and the organs located in the epigastrium through the diaphragm. Then the pain may radiate to these areas and be associated with other ailments, typical of digestive system diseases.
Sinus bradycardia is also characteristic of an inferior heart infarction, which occurs in 9-25 percent of all patients in the 1st hour of acute myocardial infarction. It does not worsen the patient's prognosis and does not require treatment.
Mortality in patients with inferior wall infarction is significantly lower than in patients with anterior heart infarction. Unfortunately, some patients with inferior wall infarction develop hemodynamically significant complications that worsen the prognosis.