Heart attack symptoms differ from person to person. Some people experience no warning signs before a heart attack. It's possible to not feel any chest pain at all. CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the chest and back pain Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
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.
You can have a heart attack and not even know it. A silent heart attack, known as a silent myocardial infarction (SMI), account for 45% of heart attacks and strike men more than women.
Chest discomfort or pain (also known as angina) is the most common warning sign of a heart attack. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, aching, numbness, squeezing or fullness in your chest.
Chest Pain, Pressure, Fullness, or Discomfort
Most heart attacks actually involve only mild pain or discomfort in the center of your chest. You may also feel pressure, squeezing, or fullness. These symptoms usually start slowly, and they may go away and come back.
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.
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.
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.
Other causes of chest pain
The chest pressure that accompanies heart attack is often confused with heartburn (acid indigestion). It also may indicate: Angina, when blood supply to the heart muscle is restricted but not blocked. Lung issues, including infection (pneumonia) or a blood clot (pulmonary embolism)
Full heart attack or complete blockage.
No blood is going to part of the heart, and there is 100 percent blockage. Pain is constant and comes with classic heart attack symptoms. Immediate medical attention is needed to prevent further damage or even death.
Pre-Heart Attack Symptoms – Female
Men may feel pain and numbness in the left arm or the side of the chest. In women, these symptoms may appear on the right side. Women may experience unexplained exhaustion, or feel drained, dizzy or nauseous. Women may feel upper back pain that travels up into their jaw.
An electrocardiogram (EKG) is the most common initial test and may be given within minutes of your arrival at the hospital. An EKG will check whether you may be having a heart attack. Based on the results of the EKG, your doctor may then order more tests, ask you about your medical history, and do a physical exam.
Signs of a heart attack include:
- 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. (If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.)
A silent heart attack can injure your heart just like a more obvious heart attack that doesn't allow oxygen to get to part of your heart. But if you don't know you're having a heart attack, you may not get the medical help you need to limit the damage.
Age (risk increases for men older than 45 and for women older than 55 [or after menopause]) High cholesterol. High blood pressure. Family history of heart attack.
Although chest pain is common to both a panic attack and a heart attack, the characteristics of the pain often differ. During a panic attack, chest pain is usually sharp or stabbing and localized in the middle of the chest. Chest pain from a heart attack may resemble pressure or a squeezing sensation.
People with anxiety disorders have inappropriate ups and downs that can cause high blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, or heart attack. A malfunctioning stress response promotes inflammation, which damages the artery linings and sets the stage for the buildup of coronary plaque.
The difference is that, when extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers are the cause of abnormal rhythm, symptoms may feel like an initial skip or hard thumping beat followed by a racing heart. When anxiety is the trigger, heart rate typically increases steadily rather than suddenly.
You may have trouble breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swollen legs, neck veins that stick out, and sounds from fluid built up in your lungs. Your doctor will check for these and other signs of heart failure. A test called an echocardiogram is often the best test to diagnose your heart failure.
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.