Cardiologist says elbow pain could be sign of 'catastrophic' health issue

A cardiologist has revealed a little-known symptom that could signal a serious health issue. Dr. Emmanuel Isang, a US-based cardiologist who often shares informative videos, shared the advice in an informative video.

In a TikTok post on his account @dr.isang, the expert explained chest pain could present differently in women. Dr Isang explained: "One of the things I don't think gets talked about enough is that not all chest pain presents the same way, specifically for women, because a lot of times, they're misrepresented or even underrepresented when it comes to chest discomfort.

"The reality is that they can have different symptoms when they're actually having a heart attack or when they're actually having significant issues with blockage."

Dr Isang highlighted some of the signs and symptoms people experience with chest discomfort, which could be caused by a heart attack or blockage. He said: "Typically, people have midsternal chest discomfort that sometimes radiates to the shoulder, to the jaw, to the elbow.

"It gets concerning when the pain is worse whenever they exert themselves, or it gets better with rest or medication called nitroglycerin. But a lot of times, women may not present that same way."

The doctor claimed: "They may not have the classical chest pain. Sometimes they can just have elbow pain, jaw pain, or they can have shortness of breath. They can have sweating or lightheadedness and dizziness."

While the symptoms could have multiple causes, they may signal that you need to seek medical care, reports Surrey Live. Dr Isang said: "What I care about is if you're having these symptoms and they're brand new, let someone know about it so they can they can potentially point you to the right place."

He continued: "It's our job to do our due diligence, work it appropriately to make sure that we don't miss something that was both catastrophic and preventable."

The NHS says symptoms of a heart attack may include a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness, or squeezing across your chest and pain in other parts of the body. The pain might feel like it is spreading from your chest to your arms.

It will usually affect the left arm, but it can affect both arms. Other symptoms include coughing or wheezing, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting.

The advice states: "Call 999 if arm pain has come on suddenly and it occurs with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest. This could be a sign of a heart attack."

The NHS adds that elbow and arm pain is not usually a sign of anything serious. However, you should see a GP if it does not go away after after a few weeks, and you should go to A&E if you have severe pain in your arm and it's difficult to move, you've injured your arm and you heard a snapping noise or your arm has changed shape, or your arm tingles or feels numb.