Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
Heart & Vascular Institute Administrative Offices
Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack can save your life — or someone else’s. When a heart attack starts, there’s a short window of opportunity to stop damage to the heart. Don’t wait to get help. Every second counts. And pay close attention to these heart-attack warning signs for men and women.
Heart Attack Symptoms in Men
Early signs of a heart attack may feel like the flu or indigestion. Other signs include:
- Pain, pressure, fullness, burning or a squeezing sensation in the center of the chest behind the breastbone
- Radiating pain that starts in your chest and spreads to the arms, neck, jaw, shoulders or back
- Any prolonged discomfort in your torso, arms, abdomen or jaw that is associated with shortness or breath, troubled breathing or nausea
Symptoms in Women
- All of the symptoms listed above for men
- Prolonged unusual chest pain, stomach or upper abdominal discomfort without shortness of breath
- Severe nausea or “heartburn”
- Unusual or unexpected shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
- Sudden dizziness, weakness or fatigue
- Heart palpitations, cold sweats or pale appearance
- Unexplained “feelings of doom”
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