Signs of a heart attack

Heart disease is the leading cause of death. Heart attacks don’t have to be fatal sometimes; if we know the signs and get help right away. Not all disorders of the heart come with clear signs of alarm. Symptoms in the same person can vary from person to person and even from episode to episode.

What Are The Signs of A Heart Attack?

Symptoms of a heart attack vary from the most common sign of feeling like an elephant sits on your chest with sweating and arm and jaw pain to less typical heart attack symptoms such as back pain, jaw pain, neck pain, nausea, shortness of breath, palpitations, indigestion, dizziness, and passing out.

 

1. Chest Pain That May Radiate

Chest pain is the most prominent and classic symptom of a heart attack. It is poorly localized, in the area behind the breastbone but the pain may radiate to the neck and jaw and the arms with a squeezing like sensation. These symptoms are known as angina.

1. Sweating

Medically sweating here is diaphoresis, a well-known sign of a heart attack. This occurs due to activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

1. Shortness of Breath

It develops as a result of heart failure caused by malfunction of the heart muscle from the heart attack.

1. Passing out

Passing out may be a sign of a heart attack. It may be due to a number of factors including a risky rhythm of the heart and low blood pressure.

1. New Palpitations

These can simply represent a swift rhythm in responding to a heart attack, or an arrhythmia directly caused by a heart attack such as ventricular tachycardia.

1. Shock

Related symptoms may include light heading and dizziness, a cold, clammy feeling, rapid heart rate, and low blood pressure.

How Men and Women Experience Heart Attacks Differently?

Chest pain is the most common sign of a heart attack in both men and women. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, back or jaw pain, nausea, and vomiting. This may be why some woman with a heart attack immediately dismiss their symptoms as signs of flu or some other less alarming diseases. Women are more likely than men prone to silent heart attacks.

Silent Heart Attacks Explained

In a silent heart attack blood flow to a section of the heart is blocked off, putting it at risk for damage if not treated. Symptoms are less obviously cardiac-related. Silent heart attack symptoms can be wide-ranging and may include

• Indigestion, heartburn
• Extreme severe fatigue
• Discomfort identical to a muscle strain in the upper abdomen, back, or jaw
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath

Although the classic appearance of a heart attack is chest pain and pressure, radiating to the neck and jaw and left arm with shortness of breath, it is important to recognize, many patients will have alternative signs and symptoms, especially women. The first most important step when suspecting symptoms of a heart attack is to call an ambulance without delay.