Heart Attack - Signs & Symptoms
It is essential to know the warning signs of heart attack as time of essence in treatment of heart attack.
The signs and symptoms of heart include:
- Chest discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than 2 minutes or longer or goes away and comes back. The discomfort may be felt like an uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or chest pain that may spread to your shoulders, neck or arms.
- Irregular heartbeats, palpitations
- Unexplained sweating, nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or fainting
- Feeling of severe indigestion (may feel like heartburn)
- Unexplained shortness of breath
- Anxiety or weakness
- Some may also have discomfort in other areas of the upper body including pain, discomfort, or numbness in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
The signs and symptoms of heart attack vary from person to person and not all the symptoms do necessarily occur. In about one-fourth of the people having heart attack there are no symptoms. This is called a "silent heart attack" and is more common in people with diabetes.
People with angina often report having a hard time differentiating the anginal symptoms from heart attack. Angina is a recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough blood temporarily. A person may notice it during exertion, but is usually relieved within a few minutes by resting or by taking prescribed angina medicine. However, the symptoms of heart attack last longer and are not relieved by rest or pain medications.
