Heart Attack Symptoms

As we all learn to live with COVID-19 in our daily lives, don’t forget about other serious health conditions that require our attention and rapid response. Ignoring the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can be a life threatening decision.Don’t let a fear of respiratory illness keep you from seeking the care you need.  

Knowing the symptoms of a heart attack can save your life

If you notice the symptoms of a heart attack in yourself or someone else, call 9-1-1 immediately. 

A heart attack occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart is blocked. If not treated quickly, heart muscle can die and, in some cases, death may result.

Don’t wait to get help if you experience any of these heart attack warning signs:

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
• Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders. 
• Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but shortness of breath also can happen before chest discomfort.

Other symptoms of a heart attack could include unusual or unexplained tiredness and nausea or vomiting. 

Heart attack symptoms in men and women can differ.

Heart Attacks in Men

Most heart attacks in men start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Symptoms include:

• Heavy Chest: Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or repeats.
• Radiating Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness       

Heart Attacks in Women

Women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly:

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting (flu-like symptoms)
• Back or jaw pain
• Overwhelming fatigue, sleep problems, or lack of energy

Learn more about women’s heart health.

Download the common signs of a heart attack for men and women.

The Adena Heart and Vascular Center holds a five star rating from Healthgrades for coronary intervention procedures, which are used to save patients suffering from a heart attack. Adena also ranks in the top 10 percent among heart hospitals nationally.

For more information, call 1-877-779-7585 or find an Adena cardiologist.