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Heart attack symptoms: Know what signals a medical emergency

By Mayo Clinic staff

Typical heart attack symptoms

Symptom Description
Chest discomfort or pain This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.
Upper body pain Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.
Stomach pain Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.
Shortness of breath You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort.
Anxiety You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason.
Lightheadedness You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
Sweating You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.
Nausea and vomiting You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

Heart attack symptoms vary widely. For instance, you may have only minor chest pain while someone else has excruciating pain.

One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't waste time trying to diagnose heart attack symptoms yourself.

Additional heart attack symptoms in women

Women may have all, none, many or a few of the typical heart attack symptoms. For women, the most common heart attack symptom is still some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But women are more likely than are men to also have heart attack symptoms without chest pain, such as:

  • Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Abdominal pain or "heartburn"
  • Sweating
  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Unusual or unexplained fatigue
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References
  1. Heart attack symptoms and warning signs. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4595. Accessed June 9, 2009.
  2. Heart attack warning signs. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/haws/haws.htm. Accessed June 9, 2009.
  3. Women and heart attack. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/haws/women.htm. Accessed June 9, 2009.

HB00054

July 24, 2009

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