Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack

There are, frequently, specific signs and symptoms of a heart attack that are fairly easy to recognize.  These symptoms include:

•Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest. The discomfort lasts for more than a few minutes, or it may go away and come back. The discomfort may feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

•Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. This may include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

•Shortness of breath may occur with or before chest discomfort.

•Other symptoms may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness. Treatments are most effective when they occur in the early stages of chest pain.

The above-mentioned symptoms usually occur but occasionally patients experience other symptoms of a heart attack that are not as obvious or well known.  Women, in particular, can experience symptoms that are harder to diagnose.  These symptoms include:

•Upper abdominal pressure or discomfort

•Lower chest discomfort

•Back pain

•Unusual fatigue

•Unusual shortness of breath

•Dizziness