Symptoms of Heart attack
Symptoms of Heart attack
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Heart attack includes the 43
symptoms listed below:
- Chest discomfort - usually in the center of the chest, and may come and go.
- Upper body discomfort - it is not necessarily just the chest that gets pain or discomfort
- Symptoms of actual full cardiac arrest:
- Other Signs
- Common features of heart attack symptoms
- Uncertainty about symptoms - most people are unsure whether they are having a heart attack. Doubt is common
- Progressive symptoms - the pain often starts mild and gets worse
- Intermittent symptoms - sometimes the pain or discomfort will come and go
- Sudden severe symptoms - sometimes the symptoms start out severe and sudden rather than mild
- more information...»
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Heart attack:
Heart attack: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Heart attack:
Heart attack Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Heart attack:
Research More About Heart attack
Do I have Heart attack?
Heart attack: Medical Mistakes
Heart attack: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Heart attack:
Wrongly Diagnosed with Heart attack?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Heart attack includes:
- Heartburn - it is sadly common for people having a heart attack to think they have only heartburn.
- Angina - heart attack and angina symptoms are sometimes similar. Angina is also a serious condition. Seek medical advice.
- Gastrointestinal disorder
- Musculoskeletal pain (see Bone pain)
- Pneumonia
- more diagnoses...»
See the full list of 34
alternative diagnoses for Heart attack
Heart attack: Research Doctors & Specialists
- Cholesterol Specialists:
- Cardiac (Heart) Specialists:
- Senior Health Specialists (Geriatrics):
- more specialists...»
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Heart attack:
More information about symptoms of Heart attack and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Heart attack
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Heart attack
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Heart attack.
Medical Books Excerpts
- CHEST PAIN
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- Chest pain
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Chest Pain
- "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis" (1999)
- [ read ]
- Chest pain
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Chest pain
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Chest pain
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Chest Pain
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Related videos for Heart attack
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Patient Surveys for Heart attack
Symptoms of Heart attack: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Heart attack.
Myocardial infarction:
Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Crushing substernal pain radiating to left arm, shoulder blades, and neck; feeling of impending doom; nausea; shortness of breath; sweating; ST-segment changes on electrocardiogram; elevated serum CK-MB and troponin-I levels
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Coronary artery disease:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The classic symptom of CAD is angina, the direct result of inadequate oxygen flow to the myocardium. Anginal pain is usually described as a burning, squeezing, or tight feeling in the substernal or precordial chest that may radiate to the left arm, neck, jaw, or shoulder blade. Typically, the patient clenches his fist over his chest or rubs his left arm when describing the pain, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fainting, sweating, and cool extremities. Anginal episodes most often follow physical exertion but may also follow emotional excitement, exposure to cold, or a large meal.
Angina has four major forms: stable (pain is predictable in frequency and duration and can be relieved with nitrates and rest), unstable (pain increases in frequency and duration and is more easily induced), Prinzmetal’s or variant (from unpredictable coronary artery spasm), and microvascular (in which impairment of vasodilator reserve causes angina-like chest pain in a patient with normal coronary arteries). Severe and prolonged anginal pain generally suggests MI, with potentially fatal arrhythmias and mechanical failure.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Myocardial infarction:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
The cardinal symptom of an MI is persistent, crushing substernal pain that may radiate to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulder blades. Such pain is typically described as heavy, squeezing, or crushing and may persist for 12 hours or more. However, in some MI patients — particularly older adults or diabetics — pain may not occur at all; in others, it may be mild and confused with indigestion.
In patients with coronary artery disease, angina of increasing frequency, severity, or duration (especially if not provoked by exertion, a heavy meal, or cold and wind) may signal impending infarction.
Other features
Other signs and symptoms include a feeling of impending doom, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Some patients may have no symptoms. The patient may experience catecholamine responses, such as coolness in the extremities, perspiration, anxiety, and restlessness. Fever is unusual at the onset of an MI, but a low-grade fever may develop during the next few days. Blood pressure varies; hypotension or hypertension may be present.
Complications
The most common post-MI complications include recurrent or persistent chest pain, arrhythmias, left ventricular failure (resulting in heart failure or acute pulmonary edema), and cardiogenic shock. Unusual but potentially lethal complications that may develop soon after infarction include thromboembolism; papillary muscle dysfunction or rupture, causing mitral insufficiency; rupture of the ventricular septum, causing ventricular septal defect; rupture of the myocardium; and ventricular aneurysm.
Up to several months after infarction, Dressler’s syndrome may develop (pericarditis, pericardial friction rub, chest pain, fever, leukocytosis and, possibly, pleurisy or pneumonitis). (See Complications of myocardial infarction.)
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Coronary artery disease:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
The classic symptom of CAD is angina, the direct result of inadequate flow of oxygen to the myocardium. It’s usually described as a burning, squeezing, or tight feeling in the substernal or precordial chest that may radiate to the left arm, neck, jaw, or shoulder blade. Approximately 50% of women don’t present with the typical symptoms of angina. These women experience vague symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting.
Typically, the patient clenches his fist over his chest or rubs his left arm when describing the pain, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fainting, sweating, and cool extremities. Anginal episodes most commonly follow physical exertion but may also follow emotional excitement, exposure to cold, or a large meal.
Angina has three major forms:
❑ Stable angina causes pain that’s predictable in frequency and duration and can be relieved with nitrates and rest.
❑ Unstable angina causes pain that increases in frequency and duration. It’s more easily induced.
❑ Prinzmetal’s angina causes unpredictable coronary artery spasm.
Severe and prolonged anginal pain generally suggests MI, with potentially fatal arrhythmias and mechanical failure.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Heart attack:
Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Attack: NHLBI (Excerpt)
Often, it is not easy to tell. But there are
symptoms people may have. These are: an uncomfortable pressure,
squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts
more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back; discomfort in
other areas of the upper body, which may be felt in one or both
arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach; shortness of breath, which
often occurs with or before chest discomfort; and other symptoms
such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.
When in doubt, check it out! Call 9-1-1. Don’t wait more than a few
minutes–5 at most. Call right away! (Source: excerpt from Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Attack: NHLBI)
Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Attack: NHLBI (Excerpt)
If you have any heart attack symptoms, call 9-1-1
immediately. Don’t wait for more than a few minutes–5 at most–to
call 9-1-1. (Source: excerpt from Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Attack: NHLBI)
Heart Attack Warning Signs: NHLBI (Excerpt)
What are the signs of a heart attack? Many people think a heart
attack is sudden and intense, like a "movie" heart attack, where a
person clutches his or her chest and falls over.
The truth is that many heart attacks start slowly, as a mild pain
or discomfort. If you feel such a symptom, you may not be sure
what's wrong. Your symptoms may even come and go. Even those who
have had a heart attack may not recognize their symptoms, because
the next attack can have entirely different ones. (Source: excerpt from Heart Attack Warning Signs: NHLBI)
Heart Attack Warning Signs: NHLBI (Excerpt)
It's vital that everyone learn the warning signs of a heart
attack. These are:
|
Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks
involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts
for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes
back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable
pressure, squeezing, fullness, or
pain.
|
|
Discomfort in other areas of the upper
body. Can include pain or discomfort in one or
both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or
stomach.
|
|
Shortness of breath. Often comes
along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur
before chest discomfort.
|
|
Other symptoms. May include breaking
out in a cold sweat, nausea, or
light-headedness.
| |
(Source: excerpt from
Heart Attack Warning Signs: NHLBI)
Uncertainty Is Normal: NHLBI (Excerpt)
Expectations
often don't match reality when it comes to heart attack. People
expect a heart attack to happen as it does in the movies, where
someone clutches his or her chest in pain and falls over. Because of
this expectation, people often are not sure if they're having a
heart attack. As a result, people often take a wait-and-see approach
instead of seeking care at once. This even happens to people who
have already had a heart attack. They may not recognize the
symptoms, because their next heart attack can have entirely
different symptoms. (Source: excerpt from Uncertainty Is Normal: NHLBI)
Fact Sheet Heart Disease and Stroke in Women: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
Include:
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing,
or pain in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few
minutes, numbness or tingling in the left arm.
- Pain that may spread to the shoulders, neck,
or arms.
- Indigestion, sweating, nausea, shortness of
breath, lightheadedness, fainting, or fatigue.
Not all of these symptoms occur before or during
a heart attack, especially for women. Likewise, they can be either
mild or severe and can subside and then return. Frequently, women
mistake pain signaling a heart attack as indigestion. (Source: excerpt from Fact Sheet Heart Disease and Stroke in Women: NWHIC)
Heart Attack: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Although heart attack symptoms vary from person to person, a classic
warning sign for women is chest pain (great pressure, heaviness, fullness,
squeezing or crushing pain in the chest). Women may experience other
symptoms, including sweating, nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath,
extreme fatigue, unexplained anxiety, palpitations, paleness,
lightheadedness or fainting. Pain or discomfort may also be felt in the
back, shoulders, jaw, neck, or arms. (Source: excerpt from Heart Attack: NWHIC)
Heart Attack: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Not all women and men experience heart attacks the same. Women can have
the classic warning sign—chest pain—but they also report having other symptoms such as
sweating, nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue,
palpitations, lightheadedness, fainting or even pain or discomfort in the
back, shoulders, jaw, neck, or arms.
Women may describe pain or discomfort somewhat differently from men,
and may be more likely to think they are just having indigestion. Women
who experience a heart attack are also known to wait longer than men to
call for help. In addition, some studies have shown that women who tell
their health care provider about their heart attack symptoms are not
always treated as aggressively as men with similar symptoms. Failure to
recognize or believe that a heart attack is taking place is a big problem
for both men and women and leads to dangerous delays in seeking treatment.
(Source: excerpt from Heart Attack: NWHIC)
Heart attack as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Heart attack, it is also important to consider Heart attack as a possible cause of other medical conditions.
The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Heart attack may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Heart attack as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Heart attack as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Heart attack.
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Heart attack:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Heart attack.
This signs and symptoms information for Heart attack has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Heart attack signs or Heart attack symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Heart attack may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Heart attack symptoms.
A heart attack is caused when a blockage forms in the heart's blood vessels. Knowing what causes a heart attack and how to prevent it could save...
After you've already suffered from a heart attack, you are at high risk for a second. Tune in to learn how to help prevent a second heart attack.
The statistics for heart disease in women are staggering. Yet many don't know they are at risk, nor do they know the signs and symptoms of...
Nearly 60 million Americans are diagnosed with heart disease every year and it's the leading cause of death in both men and women. But...
See full list of 38 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Heart attack
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