Heart Attack Symptoms

Not all heart attacks are sudden and intense. Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help.

General common symptoms of a heart attack

• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the centre of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
• Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms. The pain may be mild to intense. It may feel like pressure, tightness, burning, or heavy weight. It may be located in the chest, upper abdomen, neck, jaw, or inside the arms or shoulders.
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, dizziness, nausea or shortness of breath
• Anxiety, nervousness and/or cold, sweaty/clammy skin
• Paleness or pallor
• Increased or irregular heart rate

Heart Attack Symptoms for Women

For women, heart attack symptoms may be more subtle than men’s. Approximately 35% of heart attacks in women go unnoticed or unreported.* Some common symptoms of heart attack in women include:

Angina chest or back pain or deep aching or throbbing in the left or right bicep or forearm

Breathlessness -- or having difficulty catching one's breath on waking up

Clammy Perspiration

Dizziness -- unexplained lightheadedness, even blackouts

Edema -- swelling, particularly of the ankles and/or lower legs

Fluttering (or rapid) heartbeats

Gastric upset (or nausea)

Heavy Fullness -- or pressure-like chest pain between breasts and radiating to left arm or shoulder

What to do in the event of a heart attack.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE This website is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way intended to substitute for professional medical advice, to contradict medical advice given, or for medical care of any kind.

* US Data