What Are the Symptoms of a Heart Attack?
The classic symptom of a heart attack is chest pain that is unrelieved by rest and often spreads or radiates through the upper body to the arms, neck, shoulders, or jaw. However, some patients may only experience chest pressure/discomfort, with or without other symptoms such as shortness of breath, palpitations, fainting, fatigue, sweating, or nausea. In contrast with men, women are more likely to feel fatigue or nausea prior to a heart attack. They also feel pain high in the abdomen and chest, and even in the back, neck, or jaw. Whatever the nature of the pain, it does not have to be jarring or obvious for it to signal an impending heart attack. In fact, obvious pain is a better signal of an impending heart attack than discomfort or heartburn-like symptoms, which can be easily ignored or mistaken for indigestion.
Does a heart attack always produce symptoms?
Just as some people experience no symptoms during silent ischemia, some people can have a silent heart attack without knowing it. Up to 25 percent of heart attacks are symptom-free. Of course, the absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of damage to the heart muscle. Unfortunately, people having a silent heart attack are unaware that they need to seek proper treatment immediately and additional heart-related events or damage may occur.
What should you do if you think you might be having a heart attack?
As a general rule, it is better to be safe than sorry. If a heart attack is suspected and any of these symptoms are present, this may indeed be a sign of a serious lack of oxygen-rich blood supply to the heart. Emergency medical help should be sought immediately. Physicians usually advise stricken individuals to first call 911, then to chew an aspirin and wash it down with a glass of water, while waiting for help to arrive.
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