Your ECG is Normal, Should You Worry About Heart Attack?

ECG (Electrocardiogram) is a medical test which measures the electrical activity of a heart. It detects and records the heart's rhythm and activity, showing the changes over a period of time. ECG is part of a health screening regime.

Now, if you have an ECG done and you are told that it is normal, should you worry about a heart attack?  The short answer is that you should still watch out for the signs of a heart attack. Your normal ECG merely shows that your risk of a heart attack is less than somebody with an abnormal ECG. It is also a snapshot of your heart's condition at that particular point in time. Your heart's condition may change over time especially if you have the risk factors for heart disease.

ECG can tell whether there is enlargement of the heart due to hypertension (high blood pressure). It can also detect evidence of a heart attack that had occurred. However, ECG cannot predict the risk of a future heart attack or shows if there is asymptomatic (not showing any symptom) blockage in the heart arteries.

So if you have the risk factors for heart disease, you should continue to be watchful for the signs of heart attack, even if you have a normal ECG.

Here are some of the risk factors of heart disease :

• Smoking
• Lack of exercise
• High blood cholesterol level.
• Obesity 
• Diabetes.
• Stress

What You Should Know : Signs of Stroke

Stroke is loss of brain function due to shortage of oxygen when blood supply is cut off. General awareness of stroke is low although it is a common of medical problem for people aged 65 and older. Less than half of the respondents in a recent study could name at least one symptom of stroke.

Symptoms of stroke include weakness in the arms of legs on one side, weakness on one side of the face, droop mouth at one corner and slurring of speech. It is important to know these symptoms of stroke so that medical attention can be given to a person who has suffered a stroke.

Previous studies have shown that stroke victims took an average of 20 hours before they received medical attention at a hospital. Delayed treatment will deprive patients of the benefits of some rescue therapies and can lead to other complications. The problem with stroke is that unlike a heart attack, one do not get acute pain. Stroke victims would generally try to self-medicate or take a rest rather than go to a hospital for a check up.

One effective emergency treatment for stroke is Thrombolysis. This entails the breaking down of the blood clot in the brain that is causing the stroke. However, this must be done within four and a half hour of the onset of a stroke. That is why early medical attention is important. Other treatments are available for late detection cases but early medical treatment will provide the most options for a better outcome.

So patients with ailments that prep-dispose them to stroke should pay attention to stroke knowledge. At risk groups include patient with diabetes and hypertension or high blood pressure. Their caregivers should also be educated to look out for one-sided weakness.