Edic.: 141
Autor: El Trailero Magazine
Date: 4/2019

Trucker: Do you know the signs of a heart attack?

Your body is able to give you different warnings that you might suffer a heart attack and it is advisable to know how to identify those signs to seek the necessary medical help to prevent that from happening when you are on the road. Pay attention to these 8 warnings:

1- Fatigue

Truck drivers may not perceive this symptom, given that their work routines demand a lot, both physically and emotionally from them, and end the day tired. But when it is difficult to perform the simplest task such as showering or preparing something to eat, it is something more serious like fatigue, which could indicate a future heart attack.

2- Pain in the abdomen

Accompanied by nausea, discomfort, swelling may be symptoms that truck drivers relate to something they ate and not to a heart attack. But they could be symptoms of a heart attack, since the physical tension that causes a heart attack can also cause pain in the abdomen.

3- Insomnia

If truckers have difficult to get to sleep, stay asleep and get up very early, they may suffer from insomnia. Individuals suffering from this condition are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

4- Shortness of breath

Truckers who feel difficulty in breathing deeply, that is, who have shortness of breath in addition to dizziness, may be dealing with another sign of a future heart attack. Since that lack of air could be a symptom of a heart disease.

5- Hair loss

Hair loss that occurs with truck drivers over 50 years old and that mainly affects the area of the crown of the head could indicate a risk of suffering from a heart-related disease.

6- Irregular heartbeats

This unpleasant sensation that lasts between 1 and 2 minutes may occur unexpectedly and could happen either by increasing the heart rate (tachycardia) or by irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia). If the feeling doesn’t disappear the truck driver will possibly start to feel extremely fatigued and dizzy. The emergency services should be called immediately.

7- Sweating excessively

It happens both day and night, but at nightfall it can become more noticeable, even wetting the sheets with sweat. Many truckers end up ignoring this symptom because it’s very similar to the flu, but it could be an early symptom of a heart attack.

8- Pain in the chest

It’s a symptom that should not be ignored as it indicates that the truck driver may suffer an impending heart attack. That pain in the chest can extend to the arms, even to just one, usually the left arm. It can reach the mandible, neck, shoulders or stomach.