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Signs/Symptoms of Heart Attack
If you have any
of the following signs or symptoms of a heart attack, or think a friend or
loved one may be having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Do not delay
getting to a hospital. Some heart attack victims will not make it alive,
often because they were in denial of what was happening and waited too
long. Time is essential to reduce damage to the heart muscle! Getting
to a hospital also means that clot-busting medications or emergency
angioplasty can reduce the damage of heart attack. This can affect the
quality of the rest of your life. When it comes to
heart attack symptoms, always think "better safe than sorry."
Signs of a
Heart Attack
Note: Not all signs will be
present. Any signs are good cause to seek immediate medical attention.
Signs and symptoms may vary from person to person, and from men to women.
Learn these American Heart Association signs and symptoms of heart
attack:
Most common signs of heart
attack
- Uncomfortable pressure,
fullness, or squeezing pain in the center of the chest that lasts more
than a few minutes, or goes away.
- Pain that spreads to
the shoulders, neck or arms.
- Chest discomfort with
lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of
breath.
Other signs of a heart
attack
- Atypical (unusual)
chest pain.
- Stomach or abdominal
pain.
- Nausea or dizziness
without chest pain.
- Shortness of breath and
difficulty breathing, without chest pain.
- Unexplained anxiety,
weakness or fatigue.
- Palpitations (rapid
heart beat, or "missed" beats).
- Cold sweat.
- Paleness.
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Signs/Symptoms of a Stroke
As with heart attack, not all symptoms of stroke may occur.
Immediate medical attention is needed to prevent further damage from
stroke. If you experience any of these symptoms of stroke, or see them in
a friend or loved one, call 911 immediately. With new
clot-busting drugs, stroke can often be "stopped in its tracks," but only
if people seek immediate medical treatment.
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or trouble understanding what others are saying.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking.
- Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
Even if stroke symptoms "go away," seek medical attention immediately. Denial in the person experiencing stroke is very common. Don't take "no" for an answer.
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