Heart attack signs and symptoms in men and women: Chest pain or discomfort; Shortness of breath; Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, arm, or shoulder; Feeling nauseous, light-headed, or unusually tired.
What do these early symptoms typically look like? Dr. Xu says the majority of patients experience somewhat typical symptoms, such as radiating chest pain, heaviness or discomfort, heart palpitations, cold sweats, and shortness of breath.
“I understand that heart attacks have beginnings and on occasion, signs of an impending heart attack may include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, shoulder and/or arm pain and weakness. These may occur hours or weeks before the actual heart attack.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort.
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that comes on quickly and won't go away with rest. - Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. - Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Shortness of breath can occur with or without chest pain, and it's a common sign of a silent heart attack. You may also feel dizzy or lightheaded — and it's possible you could faint. Though this can happen to both men and women, it's more common for women to experience shortness of breath.
A heart attack is a medical emergency in which the blood supply to the heart is suddenly blocked. Warning signs that occur a month beforehand could be chest discomfort, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Symptoms of a heart attack
feeling lightheaded or dizzy. sweating. shortness of breath. feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
pressure-like pain in the chest that lasts more than 10 minutes. pain that radiates to either arm, neck, or jaw. shortness of breath. nausea and vomiting.
DO NOT leave the person alone except to call for help, if necessary. DO NOT allow the person to deny the symptoms and convince you not to call for emergency help. DO NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away. DO NOT give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medicine (such as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.
Many people expect a heart attack to come on suddenly. But research suggests that women experience symptoms for several weeks before a heart attack. A study published in 2003 of 515 women who had experienced a heart attack, reports 80 percent of women had at least 1 symptom at least 4 weeks before their heart attack.
SMI symptoms are often mild and brief. Seek medical attention if you experience one or more of the following symptoms: Discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts several minutes or goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or pain.
A silent heart attack, also called a silent Ischemia, is a heart attack that has either no symptoms, minimal symptoms or unrecognized symptoms. A heart attack is not always as obvious as pain in your chest, shortness of breath and cold sweats.
Yes. Taking aspirin during a heart attack is safe and recommended. If you think you're having a heart attack, call 911 or emergency medical services.
Noncardiac chest pain is chronic chest pain that feels like it's in the heart, but it isn't. It's actually usually in the esophagus, which runs right alongside the heart.
A person's heart rate during a heart attack may increase or stay the same, although an elevated heart rate may be associated with a worse outcome. Doctors may provide medication during a heart attack to lower the heart rate, such as beta-blockers. An elevated heart rate is not a reliable sign of a heart attack.
Often, a silent heart attack is diagnosed weeks or months later by: Physical exam. Blood tests. Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG).
How long heart attack symptoms occur. Mild heart attack symptoms might only occur for two to five minutes then stop with rest. A full heart attack with complete blockage lasts much longer, sometimes for more than 20 minutes.
Heart attack symptoms can last for days
Heart attack warning signs can start weeks to days before the attack, with approximately two-thirds of victims experiencing them [3]. The most common symptoms of a heart attack are [3]: Chest pain. Shortness of breath.
How long can a heart attack last? Heart attack symptoms typically persist for longer than a few minutes. They may go away and come back again, or they may occur intermittently over several hours . In most cases, the symptoms will begin slowly and cause mild pain or discomfort.
In men, the left arm pain will move from the shoulder down the left arm or up to the chin. If the pain comes on suddenly and is unusually severe, or is accompanied by pressure or squeezing in the chest, seek emergency treatment immediately. In women, the pain can be subtler. It can radiate to the right or left arm.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.