Question

Symptoms such as difficulty breathing, toothache or arm cramps, and syncope in the older patient often indicate:

1) Heart attack
2) Stroke
3) Pneumonia
4) Anxiety disorder

Answer 1

Symptoms like difficulty breathing, arm cramps, and syncope can indicate a heart attack, with the potential for misdiagnosis due to differing symptoms between genders and the similarity to symptoms of other conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The symptoms such as difficulty breathing, toothache or arm cramps, and syncope (loss of consciousness) in the older patient often indicate a heart attack. These symptoms are also known as angina pectoris when there is sudden pain beneath the sternum, often radiating down the left arm in males. Women may experience different symptoms, which historically led to a high rate of misdiagnoses. It's important to recognize that such symptoms can be shared with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders, putting an emphasis on the importance of a differential diagnosis. The presence of a toothache is not a classic symptom of a heart attack, but pain and discomfort can sometimes radiate to the jaw, mimicking a toothache.