Symptoms of a Heart Attack

The symptoms of a heart attack include:

• A crushing, squeezing, or burning pain, pressure, or fullness in the center of the chest; the pain may radiate to the neck, one or both arms, the shoulders, or the jaw. The chest discomfort lasts more than a few minutes. It can diminish in intensity and return.
• Shortness of breath, dizziness
• Nausea, heartburn, or upset stomach
• Sweating or feeling "the chills"
• A weak, fast pulse
• An irregular heart beat
• Cold, clammy skin, or a gray color to the face
• Fainting or loss of consciousness
• Fatigue

You may not feel all of these symptoms. Some people experience no symptoms -- this is called silent ischemia. Women may have different symptoms of a heart attack than men. They may not experience chest pain but have other symptoms, such as pain high in the abdomen, jaw, back, or neck or non-pain symptoms like shortness of breath or fatigue.

Call an ambulance Immediately About a Heart Attack if:
• You or someone else shows signs of a heart attack. Seek emergency help right away, without delay.
• Your angina (chest pain) no longer responds to medication. This may indicate that a heart attack is beginning.
• Your angina attacks become more frequent, prolonged, and severe. As angina worsens the risk of heart attack increases.

Call Your Doctor about a Heart Attack if:
You are taking aspirin to prevent heart attack and your stool appears black and tarry. This may indicate gastrointestinal bleeding and could be a sign that aspirin has thinned your blood too much, problems that can and should be corrected.