A person can appear perfectly healthy yet have an underlying, potentially serious, health condition. More often than not, however, if you have an illness or disease, your body will let you know. You will develop symptoms. When it comes to things like heart disease, symptoms might not always be what you’d expect. In fact, sometimes they can seem obscure or totally unrelated. For example, do you know that hip pain is a possible sign that your heart is not healthy?
This is especially true if you experience hip pain while you are walking. So, what’s the connection between hip pain and heart disease? The key factor is that you have arteries in your legs. You probably already know that a clogged artery in the heart can cause a heart attack. Well, if there is a clog in a leg artery, it typically means that there could also be problems with arteries in the heart. Hip pain associated with a heart condition might feel different from pain associated with arthritis or injury. The main difference is that hip pain from a clogged leg artery tends to get worse upon exertion (walking or exercise). If you are not moving around, you might not feel the pain. Peripheral arterial disease can also cause pain in areas besides the hips, such as thighs, buttocks or calves.
Heart disease and erectile dysfunction
There are many reasons why a man might experience problems obtaining or maintaining an erection. If you’re a male who is currently having this problem, do not rule out heart disease as a possible cause. The condition is connected to decreased blood flow, which, as stated at the beginning of this post, is often present in people with heart problems. Other conditions, such as diabetes or stress, can cause erectile issues, as well. It is always best to seek medical attention to rule out or diagnose heart problems.
More than 80% of women with heart failure have also experienced sexual dysfunction, in particular, vaginal dryness, lack of sensation or decreased libido (sex drive). Such symptoms are often present at the onset of cardiovascular disease. The average woman might not think of scheduling an appointment with a cardiologist if she is experiencing sexual dysfunction. However, if other issues have been ruled out, it is wise to do so, especially if the person in question has additional symptoms that might be related to heart disease.
Additional symptoms besides hip pain that accompany heart disease
If you experience any of the symptoms included in the following list, it would be prudent to discuss them with your primary care physician, who might then recommend a visit to a cardiologist:
- When you lie on your back, you have trouble breathing.
- You have swelling in one or both ankles or lower legs.
- Simple activities, such as making the bed, exhaust you to the point that you feel like you need to rest.
- You need to relieve your bladder multiple times during the night.
- You have halitosis (bad breath).
- You often experience unexplained nausea.
It’s better to get a thorough checkup and rule out heart disease than to disregard symptoms or assume they are unrelated to heart health. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one person dies every 33 seconds from heart disease in the United States. This makes it the leading cause of death. You can boost your heart health by eating certain foods. Like many illnesses, the sooner you receive a diagnosis, the more treatable it might be. Do not hesitate to further investigate obscure symptoms that might be related to poor heart health.
