People with a family history of heart problems are advised to keep one particular type of medicine at home as it could be lifesaving.
An inexpensive pill of aspirin could make a major difference if you or a loved one finds themselves suffering a heart attack.
The NHS website states that once you’ve called 999 for help, paramedics could still be minutes away from your door.
With every second crucial, having these pills on hand in your medicine cabinet could be lifesaving in a critical situation.
The NHS states: “While waiting for an ambulance, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg), as long as the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin. Aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart.”
If a person is suffering from a suspected heart attack and goes into cardiac arrest, an ambulance crew should be dispatched with the highest priority. But this can sometimes take up to seven minutes on average, according to statistics from the London Ambulance Service.
By thinning the blood, asprin lessens the strain on your heart and limits how much of that blood is stopped by blockages around your body.
In the UK, packets of aspirin are available at most supermarkets and pharmacies. Some types are only available on prescription. Speaking with a medical professional will determine if you are suitable for a prescription.
Tesco sells 16 tablets of its own brand 300mg aspirin for 50p. Also, Superdrug has an aspirin pack available for 29p that also contains 16 tablets at the same dosage.
If you have a family history of heart disease, your risk of experiencing a heart attack may be higher than normal.
This can be due to factors like genetics, common living environments and similar lifestyle choices that all play a role in a family’s heart health.
Being aware of the signs to look out for is also very important if you know your family has a history of heart problems. The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain.
The level of pain can vary from person to person. In most situations, the feeling is severe, tight and originates in the chest but can also spread to other parts of the body – typically your arms and more often than not in the left one.
There are a number of other symptoms you can look out for in yourself or others if you believe a heart attack in in progress or imminent. As per the NHS website, they include:
- feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- sweating
- shortness of breath
- feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
- an overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
- coughing or wheezing
