Chest pain is one of many possible symptoms of a heart attack. Knowing the other symptoms and what to do if they develop may save your life or the life of a loved one.
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked or significantly reduced. The event can cause permanent damage to heart tissue. Responding quickly to heart attack symptoms is essential to minimize complications and long-term heart problems.
The more aware you are of some of the common and even some of the less common symptoms of a heart attack, the better equipped you’ll be to get treatment for yourself or someone else who may be experiencing a serious cardiac episode.
Keep reading to learn about the symptoms of a heart attack.
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It’s worth noting that heart attack symptoms tend to be nontypical or different in certain populations including females, older adults, and those with diabetes mellitus. If you belong to one of these groups, have a discussion with your doctor about symptoms that may be unique to you.
Common signs and symptoms
While chest pain or discomfort occurs frequently, the nature of that discomfort varies. It may be experienced as pressure or a squeezing sensation or as a sharp pain, often on the left side of the chest. Heart attack chest pain may get progressively worse, or it may come and go.
Other common indications of a heart attack include:
- cold sweat
- lightheadedness, weakness, or fainting
- shortness of breath, sometimes preceding chest pain or occurring along with chest pain
- upper body pain, including pain that radiates up the neck to the jaw and pain in the back, shoulders, and arms
Though left arm pain is more commonly associated with heart attack symptoms, you can have pain in your right arm only or in both arms. Likewise, you may have pain in one or both shoulders during a heart attack.
Some…
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