Symptoms of Heart attack

List of 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.
  • Uncomfortable chest pressure
  • Chest squeezing
  • Chest fullness
  • Chest pain
• Upper body discomfort - it is not necessarily just the chest that gets pain or discomfort
  • Pain radiating to left arm
  • Back discomfort
  • Back pain
  • Discomfort in one arm
  • Discomfort in both arms
  • Neck discomfort
  • Jaw discomfort
  • Stomach discomfort
• Symptoms of actual full cardiac arrest:
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Cyanosis
  • Pallor
  • Absent pulse
  • Dilated pupils
• Other Signs
  • Shortness of Breath
  • Sweating
  • Cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Light-headedness
  • Fainting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Tiredness
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Palpitations
  • Paleness
  • Upset stomach
  • Dyspnea
  • Diaphoresis
  • Panic
• 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

Note that Heart attack symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Heart attack signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Heart attack

Do I have Heart attack?

• Heart attack: Introduction
• Heart attack: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Heart attack
• Failure to Diagnose Heart attack
• Hidden Causes of Heart attack
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Heart attack
• More about Heart attack

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Heart attack:

• High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
  • Home Blood Pressure Tests
  • Home Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Home Heart Tests
• Heart Health: Home Testing:
  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Irregular Heartbeat Detection
  • Heart Electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Home Cholesterol Tests
• Home Andropause Tests
• Prostate Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Prostate Tests
  • Home PSA Antigen Tests
  • Home Testosterone Tests

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

See the full list of 33 alternative diagnoses for Heart attack

More about symptoms of Heart attack:

More information about symptoms of Heart attack and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Heart attack
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Heart attack
• Underlying causes of Heart attack
• Associated conditions for Heart attack
• Risk factors for Heart attack

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.

• Absent pulse - see all causes of Absent pulse
• Anxiety - see all causes of Anxiety
• Back discomfort - see all causes of Back pain
• Back pain - see all causes of Back pain
• Chest discomfort - see all causes of Chest discomfort
• Chest fullness - see all causes of Chest symptoms
• Chest pain - see all causes of Chest pain
• Chest squeezing - see all causes of Chest pressure
• Cold sweat - see all causes of Cold sweat
• Common features of heart attack symptoms - see all causes of Heart symptoms
• Cyanosis - see all causes of Cyanosis
• Diaphoresis - see all causes of Diaphoresis
• Dilated pupils - see all causes of Dilated pupils
• Discomfort in both arms - see all causes of Arm pain
• Discomfort in one arm - see all causes of Arm pain
• Dyspnea - see all causes of Breathing difficulties
• Extreme fatigue - see all causes of Extreme fatigue
• Fainting - see all causes of Fainting
• Intermittent symptoms
• Jaw discomfort - see all causes of Jaw pain
• Light-headedness - see all causes of Dizziness
• Loss of consciousness - see all causes of Syncope
• Nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Neck discomfort - see all causes of Neck pain
• Other Signs
• Pain radiating to left arm - see all causes of Arm pain
• Paleness - see all causes of Paleness
• Pallor - see all causes of Paleness
• Palpitations - see all causes of Palpitations
• Panic - see all causes of Panic
• Progressive symptoms
• Shortness of breath - see all causes of Shortness of breath
• Shortness of Breath - see all causes of Shortness of Breath
• Stomach discomfort - see all causes of Stomach cramps
• Sudden severe symptoms
• Sweating - see all causes of Sweating
• Tiredness - see all causes of Tiredness
• Uncertainty about symptoms
• Uncomfortable chest pressure - see all causes of Chest pressure
• Upper body discomfort - see all causes of Chest pain
• Upset stomach - see all causes of Upset stomach
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting

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.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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:

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:

• Alanine transaminase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Aldolase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Aspartate transaminase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular node conduction block
• Breathlessness
• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiac failure, low output
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Chest pain
• Creatine kinase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Dominant R wave in V1
• Dressler's syndrome
• Embolism
• Hyperhidrosis
• Hypotension
• Junctional rhythm
• Lactate dehydrogenase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Left bundle branch block
• Mitral valve incompetence
• Multifocal atrial tachycardia
• Myocardial rupture
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pericarditis
• Q waves
• Right bundle branch block
• ST segment depression
• ST segment elevation
• T wave inversion
• T waves tall
• Troponin T levels increased (plasma or serum)
• Ventricular aneurysm
• Ventricular fibrillation
• Ventricular septal defect

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:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Heart attack
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Heart attack
• How serious is Heart attack?
• More about Heart attack
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

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.