Symptoms of a heart attack

The symptoms of heart attack vary widely but often include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath or nausea. Women's heart attack symptoms may be different from men's symptoms.

If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately.

Heart attack symptoms for men and women
Common heart attack symptoms and warning signs may include:

  • Chest discomfort. 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. These feelings may come and go.

  • Upper body pain. Pain or discomfort may extend beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain without any chest discomfort.

  • Stomach pain. Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area.

  • Shortness of breath. You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort.

  • Lightheadedness. You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

  • Sweating. You may suddenly break out into a sweat and have cold, clammy skin.

  • Nausea and vomiting. You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

Heart attack symptoms in women
Women may experience all, none, many or a few of these common symptoms of a heart attack. For women, as for men, the most common symptom of a heart attack is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. However, women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

  • Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort

  • Shortness of breath

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Sweating

  • Lightheadedness or dizziness

  • Unusual or unexplained fatigue

Getting treatment quickly improves your chance of survival and minimizes damage from a heart attack. Call 911 or other emergency medical services for help within five minutes. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only if there are absolutely no other options.

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For more information about FMC’s Cardiology department call,
928 773-2314.

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