Stay Safe, Have No Heart Attack Symptoms When Shoveling Snow – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – As the Pittsburgh area wakes up to heavy snow, emergency departments at local hospitals are preparing victims for possible heart attacks.

Doctors say the thicker the snow, the higher the risk of heart disease.

Emergency department officials say the correlation between snow and heart attacks is very real.

Health problems experienced by individuals when shoveling and clearing snow affect both men and women, and age is not important.

“We actually see this often in the younger population, because you know, it’s the lack of physical activity,” said. Dr. Matthew Poremba of AHN.

Dr. Poremba says that denying health problems is a big deal.

“Most people think oh this can’t be me. This cannot happen to me. It must have been just cold or it must have been overworked,” Dr. Poremba added.

Symptoms of snow shoveling heart problems can’t be ignored, and can include being windy, having pressure in your chest or a type of pain in the chest area.

Poremba also says that the symptoms could reveal something else.

“So you might not have a heart attack, but you could find out you have COVID Yes, you could have COVID You could be hypoxic. And self-inflicted damage you don’t even realize,” says Dr. Poremba.

if you have chest pain or trouble breathing, go to the emergency room and get checked.

In the case of a heart attack, minutes count.