Heart Health

symptoms of heart attack

Read and learn more about symptoms of heart attack. For more, visit the MyHeartyHeath.com website.

Q: How do heart attack symptoms differ between men and women?
What are the symptoms of a heart attack and how do they differ between men and women?

A: central chest pain (heaviness or tightness or squeezing type of pain) radiating to the left arm and sometimes to the right arm , tha neck and jaw. shortness of breath and excessive sweating Loss of consciousness and sudden death
The most common symptoms of MI in women include dyspnea, weakness, and fatigue. Fatigue, sleep disturbances, and dyspnea have been reported as frequently occurring symptoms which may manifest as long as one month before the actual clinically manifested ischemic event. In women, chest pain may be less predictive of coronary ischemia than in men

Q: How long can heart attack symptoms last?
I’ve had chest discomfort for almost 2 months now. The discomfort always goes away when I press down on parts of my ribs. However, the slight pain always occurs in different parts of the left chest. I’ve also been having jaw discomfort that feels like a growing pimple in the area where the neck joins the lower jaw on both sides of my face. My doctors did an EKG, listened to my heart beat, did an x-ray, tested my blood, and said I am fine. I am 16 years old and I am afraid I might have a heart attack. Any suggestions?

A: An ECG will have revealed if you have had a heart attack, also a blood test will have shown something.

When I was 28 I had a heart attack and had no jaw ache, no pain on my left side, just a crushing feeling in the centre of my chest. I thought I was OK cause I didnt have any of the above ‘commonly’ reported symptons ( I thought that you were only having a heart attack if you felt shooting pains down your left arm) – Bottom line, never take chances with chest pain, whatever your age. By all means get a second opinion on the chest pain, but after the tests you’ve had I would rule out heart problems.

Also, a high percentage of patients who have sufferred a heart attack dont get any Jaw pain or left sided shooting pains. If this is your guide to deciding whether you are having a heart attack, you could be putting yourself in danger.

Q: Could these be heart attack symptoms in a female?
I just experienced these very weird feelings tonight while on here and for the first time 2 days ago. I am a bit concerned they could be early warnings of a stroke/ heart attack. I am over 35 and do smoke and take the pill. I am not over weight, have low cholesterol, BP, etc and my GP says a low dose estrogen pill for me is okay.

Here are the symptoms- I know in women they can be different than men. It starts with intense and sudden pain on the bones of both jaws and then is followed by a tightness in my forehead and then a crushing pain in an oval right above my breasts in the center of my chest. Along with that, I am just awash with a general ill feeling and then after about 10-15 minutes it passes. I will ask my GP Monday about this but do any of you know if these could be warning signs.? Thanks
Thanks- I am fully aware of the risks and trust my GP. In cases of NO other risk factors being present, as in my case, smoking women over 35 only have a 1% greater risk than others on the pill. I am not asking for a DX, just curious if anyone has heard of these symptoms.

A: You could be having some typre of seizure or allergic reaction. I was in the Air Force for 4 1/2 years when I started have trouble concentrating. I found out that I had frontal lobe epilepsy that was compounded by rapid changes in air pressure (from being in a helicopter.)

It’s good that you’re going to the doctor.

Q: what are the symptoms of Heart Attack?
what are the symptoms of Heart Attack?What are the precautions.

A: Pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest
Jaw pain, toothache, headache
Shortness of breath
Nausea, vomiting, and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort
Sweating
Heartburn and/or indigestion
Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm)
Upper back pain
General malaise (vague feeling of illness)
No symptoms (Approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms. Silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus.)

Q: what are the symptoms of heart attack?
does this symptoms also affect rise of blood pressure?

my friend recently feeled something stinging in his chest occassionally, preferably the heart area. he is a hypertensive person and taking his maintenance regularly. and his blood pressure is 120/80.

please advice. thanks

A: OK, is this symptom during exertion or during rest ? is he smoking or not ? These are two basic questions that requires answer at the same time is he walking or not?
Take him to a cardiologist and have his problem sorted out, as I will not give you a preassumptive answer, after it is a life at stake. Forget the symptoms for the time being,OK.

Q: Is coughing one of the heart attack symptoms?
My friend has high blood pressure and I’m worried about him. Please let me know.

A: If he is on ACE medicine usually dry coughing is caused by that type of medication. If not on BP medication, then coughing is actually beneficial for his heart.

Q: Can these be the symptoms of a female heart attack
or something else.

these past few days i have been feeling very strange, i have been having what i call a “bullet head ache” because one side of my head the very front left side aches but no where else except directly in the same spot but in the back of my head, so its kinda like a gun shot.

then comes the dizzy spells, one got so bad i actually had to lay down with my eyes shut.

sometimes there will be intense nausea, followed by no vomiting, but the nausea is enough torture as it is.
i also been having sharp pains in my stomach, around where my liver is, and my uterus.

i checked web md for female heart attack symptoms, and i have some but not all.
so can anyone help me please? tell me if this is normal, or should i see a doctor?

**headaches
**nausea
**sharp abdomen pains
**dizziness

A: Sounds more like a migraine or sinus headache. The dizziness and cause the abdomenial pain and nausea.

Q: What are the symptoms of a heart attack for women? How do you know?
I am 45 and a woman. I have been having pain in my shoulders and mid back, trouble breathing, and dizziness. I have been using my inhaler every 2 hours and have been taking 800mgs of motrin for the pain and a gas X and previcid for my stomach. The breathing problems seems better but I am still in some pain. My husband, a nurse, says I am not presenting the symptoms of a heart attack and thinks it is more upper respiratory related. I have also had sore shoulders for a while with limited movement that my doctor thinks is my rotator cuff. Do you think I should ride it out on pain meds and albutoral or go to the emergency room? I’m not in distress as much as I was. Any suggestions? Thanks!

A: Very good question. Women present much differently than men do when it comes to your hearts. Atypical is the typical in women. I’ve diagnosed heart attacks (myocardial infarctions) time and time again in women who only have shortness of breath, nausea, weakness, shoulder pain (rotator cuff!), etc.
The thing I hate hearing most from my patients is that they are having ‘gas’ pain. So many times it turns out to be cardiac.
When you go to the emergency room they will do an ekg, chest xray, and cardiac enzymes (heart labs), etc. However, this alone does not rule out a heart attack. They will most likely keep you overnight to do atleast two more ekg’s and heart labs seperated by six hours and after you ‘rule out’ they’ll probably do stress testing.
Other life threatening conditions such as pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in your lungs), etc can present in a similar fashion.
It may be nothing, but please don’t make the mistake of blowing this off. Go straight to the hospital and check it out. I don’t want to say what I do for a living on this forum, but please believe me you need to go get this checked out.

Q: Are the symptoms of heart attack different in men and women?
If so what are the differences.

A: Symptoms are different for everyone. Men can have central chest pain radiating to the left arm, with the shortness of breath and sweating. Women can get vague symptoms, like pressure in the chest. And there are people who don’t have any pain (diabetics). Others symptoms are back pain, dizzy, tooth ache, and people also have the urge to use their bowels.

Q: Why does someone have a heart attack?What are thne symptoms of a heart attack?
Why does someone have a heart attack?What are thne symptoms
of a heart attack?

A: Heart attacks happen when there is an inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle causing the muscle to starve for oxygen and die.
The most common source of heart attack is a sudden blockage of an artery that supplies the heart muscle with blood. Usually there is a rupture of fibro-fatty plaques that tend to form on the inside of the arteries. When these plaques rupture a blood clot forms that completely and suddenly blocks the artery – causing chest pain.

Typical cardiac pain is a pressing or compressing chest discomfort (often not described as pain). It may radiate to the neck, left shoulder, left arm or between the shoulder blades. There may be epigastric discomfort.

This chest discomfort is typically made worse with activity or emotional upset and improved with rest. Angina usually does not stay around for hours on end without either worsening or resolving. Shortness of breath, sweating profusely, nausea, vomiting, and impending doom can accompany the chest discomfort.

Q: What are the most common symptoms of a heart attack?
What are some less common symptoms as well? Who would likely be a victim of a heart attack?

A: It is different for everyone….usually Chest pressure/pain, shortness of breath, nausea, sweats, pain that goes from shoulder down the arm, pain in neck or jaw. My father has had 6 heart attacks. The first time, all he felt was nausea, dizziness, pain in jaw, and short of breath, he thought he was coming down with a weird flu…he went into cardiac arrest about an hour after his symptoms started. He had the same for the first 3(except for the cardiac arrest) …The last three he actually experienced chest pain and shortness of breath. The risk factors of Coronary Artery Disease are: If you have a family history of heart disease such as Grandparents, parents, siblings, high cholesterol/blood pressure, smoking history, obesity, diabetes. If you have any of the above you are at risk of having a heart attack. I am 29, and because I have a family history, I started seeing a cardiologist….I am also a smoker, and have high cholesterol. It’s always good to start getting a physical once a year, if you have any of the risk factors.

Q: What are most common symptoms of a heart attack?
What are most common symptoms of a heart attack?

A: When a coronary artery becomes blocked, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that coronary artery dies, this is more commonly known as a heart attack or myocardial infarction. The usual symptoms of heart attack are severe, persistent, crushing chest pain radiating to the arms, with sweating, nausea, vomiting and breathlessness. If you suspect you are having a heart attack, call an ambulance, chew an aspirin, this reduces further blood clotting and rest until the ambulance arrives. Heart attacks frequently occur without warning and without the presence of any other obvious symptoms like angina. So it’s always better to keep a check on blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels so that you can be more cautious about any heart problem during rise in levels of cholesterol, and try to control it. for more information home tests for cholesterol go to

Q: What are all the symptoms of a heart attack?
My girlfriend is complaining of her head feeling like its on fire and her arm hurts and her fingers are tingling. Is your head feeling like its on fire a symptom?

Please list ALL symptoms of a heart attack thanks

A: Common warning signs are:

–Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the centre of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
–Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, arms or sometimes the teeth
–Chest discomfort with light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
Less common warning signs are:

–Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain
–Nausea or dizziness
–Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
–Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
–Palpitations, cold sweat, paleness

i hope she is okay =)

Q: How long after onset of symptoms does a heart attack occur?
About How long after onset of symptoms does a heart attack occur ?

A: I work in a position where I need to know medical information…it can occur anytime after symptoms.. a day… a week.. even a month.Really it depends on how severe your symptoms are and if they’re that bad you should call 911 or go in

Q: Physiological explanation of heart attack symptoms?
I know the symptoms but was wondering about the actual physiological mechanisms that cause them. If anyone knows the reason for any of the following symtpoms occurance during, in the lead up to or after a heart attack please help me out!

Cold Sweat?
Skin paling?
Difficulty breathing (acute and prolonged)
Prolonged fatigue?
Rapid heart beat?
lightheadedness/dizziness?
Fainting?

Also, do many of these symtpoms have something to do with the autonomic nervous system going haywire?

Thanks!!

A: A heart attack, or myocardial infarction is when the blood supply to your heart muscle (through coronary arteries) is cut off to the point that there is not sufficient oxygen to keep your myocardium (heart muscle) alive.
This causes necrosis (death) of heart muscle which is what causes the severe pain. The cardiac output of the heart (volume pumped out) falls and so blood supply to the tissues drops, causing the paleness. As a response to the lack of oxygen, the heart rate is increased (as it is in exercise) to try to get sufficient blood to your tissues.
Breathlessness occurs due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the tissues) but also severe chest pain can cause difficulty breathing. The dizziness and fainting are caused by lack of oxygen to your brain. Other symptoms are a result of shock.

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