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Heart attacks are serious medical emergencies which require immediate attention from medical experts. A lesser-known warning sign of the condition is noticing your skin looking like this after taking off your socks.
Many people associate heart attacks with obvious symptoms including chest pain.
However, there are some lesser-known warning signs which include bleeding gums or swollen feet.
When a person has swollen feet and ankles, they will often notice an indentation on their skin after they take off their socks.
Dr Carl Orringer, associate professor of medicine and director of the Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said: “Signs like ankles swelling or weight gain do not necessarily mean you have heart disease, but taken together with other symptoms of heart disease, laboratory studies, and family history, they are an important part of making a diagnosis of heart disease or heart failure.”
Retention of fluid in the feet and legs is known as peripheral edema.
Edema may appear as “sock marks” on the legs and ankles at the end of the day.
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Mild peripheral edema is common.
A GP may check for this sign by pressing a finger against the ankle or shin bone to see if a depression or dent is left behind.
This is known as “pitting edema” and it could indicate congestive heart failure.
Edema may be a sign of heart failure because when the heart is not pumping well, fluid from inside the blood vessels tends to leak out into surrounding tissues.
The legs and ankles are common areas for edema due to its effects of gravity.
Dr Orringer added: “Peripheral edema may be caused by a host of issues.
“The bottom line is that most people with peripheral edema do not have heart disease, but it could be an important sign if there are other signs and symptoms of heart failure.”
Source: Daily Express
