A heart attack is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) when blood flow is suddenly reduced or blocked from the heart. It can lead to serious damage and can even be life-threatening if the heart loses blood supply for a significant amount of time.
Heart attacks are caused by blood clots made of plaque from the buildup of cholesterol inside the arteries. This plaque can stick to the artery walls, narrowing the passage of blood flow, or it can break off, travel through arteries, and get stuck, blocking blood flow to different organs and body parts.
There are many different symptoms of a heart attack. Some people may experience sudden and intense symptoms, while other people might feel symptoms start slowly, with mild discomfort gradually increasing. Symptoms could start days or even weeks before cardiac arrest. It’s even possible to have a heart attack with no symptoms.
If you’re suffering a heart attack, you need immediate medical attention. Call 911 or emergency medical help if you experience the following symptoms and believe you could be having a heart attack.
Chest pain
Chest pain is the most common sign of CVD. Restricted blood flow can cause chest pain called angina, which could be a precursor to a heart attack. This is the first warning sign that you need to get help. Often this pain is described as a tightness, squeezing, pressure, or heaviness in the chest area. It could be caused by physical exertion or stress, or occur when you are at rest. If the pain does not go away after a few minutes, it should be taken seriously.
Pain in other parts of the body
Pain in the left arm or left side of the body is one of the most infamous markers of a heart attack. Sometimes sufferers of heart attacks feel like the pain is spreading from their hearts, but they might also just feel the pain in their arms, back, jaw, or even right side of the body. This pain could feel like a squeezing, pressure, fullness, or general discomfort.
Women are more likely than men to feel a sharp pain in their neck, arm, or back when experiencing a heart attack. In fact, women may experience pain up to a month before cardiac arrest occurs.
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Often heart attack sufferers feel faint or dizzy. This symptom generally comes with other heart attack symptoms such as chest pain. If you only feel lightheaded or dizzy, it could be a sign of a drop in blood pressure, or that you need to sit down, eat, or drink. If the feeling does not subside, it could be a sign of a heart attack.
Shortness of breath
A sudden feeling of fatigue when doing light physical activity could be a sign of a coming heart attack. If you are used to doing an activity, such as walking upstairs or carrying something, and it suddenly leaves you short of breath, it could be a sign of a heart attack or another form of CVD. Any sudden changes to how your body responds to physical activity could warrant getting checked by a doctor. If it isn’t a heart attack, it could be a precursor to one.
Anxiety
Some sufferers of heart attacks describe feeling intense anxiety similar to a panic attack. Often anxiety comes with an increased or an irregular heart rate, which could lead to cardiac arrest. Feeling anxiety by itself is not necessarily a sign of a heart attack, but if it comes with a significant change in heart rate and other symptoms, it could mean you are suffering a heart attack.
Sweating
Some people start sweating or break out into a cold sweat while experiencing a heart attack. Like other symptoms, this by itself is not a sign of a heart attack; but if you start sweating for no reason it could be a sign of a health condition.
Nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
Heart attacks can be accompanied by sudden nausea and even vomiting. Some people will feel severe indigestion or heartburn accompanied by belching and a sour or metallic taste in their mouths. These symptoms on their own are more likely a sign that you ate something that didn’t agree with you, but with other symptoms, they could be a sign of CVD.
When to get help
By themselves, many of these symptoms are not signs of a heart attack. However, if you experience multiple symptoms together they could be signs of CVD or another medical condition. If any of these symptoms occur suddenly, intensely, or make you feel worried, you should seek medical attention immediately.
It is always better to err on the side of caution if you believe you may be experiencing a heart attack. Call an ambulance or get someone to drive you to a hospital. Do not try to drive yourself.
Are you at risk?
There are many risk factors that make someone more likely to suffer from heart attacks or other forms of CVD. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes put you at risk, as do certain lifestyle choices such as smoking, diet, and inactivity.
If you are at risk, it is even more important for you to monitor your body for these symptoms to ensure you respond to a heart attack as soon as possible.
Getting screened for CVD is an important step in understanding your risks. MyCardioGuard provides accurate and inexpensive screenings to detect early-stage CVD in individuals with few or no symptoms. Our FDA-approved technology is non-invasive, safe, clinically proven, and takes less than 15 minutes.
If you’d like to know your risk of contracting CVD, schedule your screening.