The warning signs of heart attacks can be difficult to detect outside the well known symptoms of chest and arm pain.
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Symptoms of a heart attack vary between each individual. Understanding the potential warning signs can mean the difference between life and death in a cardiac event.
Griffith resident Carmel Hume, 86, experienced symptoms of sleep apnea before her heart attack in 2008. Other than her high blood pressure which was being treated, she didn't feel she was a high risk for heart attack.
"There were times where I would wake in the night with a gasp and I'd feel awful," Mrs Hume said.
"At the time I didn't know anything about sleep apnea being a risk factor for heart attack.
"Now however, I'd say to anybody that snoring is a danger and it's my opinion that it contributed to my heart attack along with my high blood pressure," Mrs Hume said.
According to Sharon Fallon, clinical nurse in cardiology at Griffith Base Hospital, symptoms of a heart attack can vary tremendously from person to person.
"Some people don't actually get chest pain when experiencing a cardiac event," Mrs Fallon said.
"People often get arm pain down either arm, or pain up into the jaw or even in the teeth.
"But with women they may get a bit of shoulder pain or just feel a bit nauseous." Mrs Fallon added.
Mrs Hume has battled with her heart health for twelve years, including a number of stents and just recently bypass surgery.
"The surgery for the bypass was pretty straight forward with no complications but it's no picnic," Mrs Hume said.
"When you get over it your body does react and all I knew was that I had to get better and get going."
Exercise and getting active have been a key part of Mrs Hume's recovery. She is currently attending cardiac rehabilitation at the cardiology unit at Griffith Base Hospital.
Mrs Fallon from the cardiology unit recommends that Griffith residents who are at risk of heart problems go see their GP for a referral for heart screening.
"At the cardiology unit we do non-invasive stress tests and echocardiograms to look at if a patient's heart is showing any symptoms of heart issues," Mrs Fallon said.
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