Symptoms of a Heart Attack: How to Know
Symptoms of a heart attack help you recognize when a person is having a heart attack. Heart Attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart reduces or ceases, causing damage to heart muscles. When this happens, the following symptoms can help you suspect a person who might be having a heart attack.
Symptoms of Heart Attack
CHEST PAIN which you may also feel at the shoulder, arms, back, neck, or jaw, is the usual warning BUT NOT ALWAYS!
Frequently, a heart attack (aka myocardial infarction or MI) occurs in the centre or left side of the chest. It may last for more than a few minutes. The chest discomfort may sometimes feel like ordinary heartburn but it is something more serious!
Aside from chest pain or discomfort, a person with a heart attack may also feel;
- anxious
- nauseated
- cold sweat
- extreme tiredness
- irregular heartbeat
- shortness of breath
- like they’re about to faint
- like they’re going to die
Nearly 1 in 3 people with a heart attack have unusual or atypical symptoms.
Women, diabetics & old people, in particular, may not have the distinctive chest pain described above.
So you don’t have to always wait to see chest pain before you start suspecting a heart attack!
In fact, 5% of people above 75yrs will have a heart attack with little or no symptoms at all. This is called Silent Heart Attack! A silent heart attack can be just as dangerous as a typical heart attack.
4 of the most common signs of a silent heart attack are;
- Pain, pressure, fullness, or discomfort in your chest
- Dizziness with difficulty in breathing
- Discomfort in parts of your body other than the chest, like back, neck, jaw, stomach & arms
- Feeling nauseated, cold & sweaty
Let me advise; you need to know the symptoms of a heart attack & never ignore them. You never can tell when this knowledge will save you or someone else. This will help you seek treatment before it’s too late!
