Heart Attack Symptoms

Heart attack symptoms are felt by more than 60 percent of the patients before the actual heart attack actually begins as the body itself sends one or more warning signals. The symptoms sometimes even occur days or weeks ahead of time. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not know the symptoms of heart attack or some do not to recognize those symptoms when they appear.

Typical heart attack symptoms include:

• The center of the chest may feel an uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain. It should be noted that the pain may last for a few minutes, or it may stop but return.
• Spreading of pain from the shoulders to the neck and arms, it may be mild to intense pain
• Shortness of breath accompanied by chest discomfort, light-headedness, fainting, sweating and nausea.
• Anxiety and nervousness as well as cold and sweaty skin.
• Pallidness or pallor.
• Irregular heart rate.

Not all of the symptoms may occur with every heart attack. It may sometimes disappear and then reappear. A person who has these symptoms should receive immediate medical attention.

As the first signs of heart attack are felt, call for emergency treatment at once. Don’t wait for the symptoms to stop. As early detection and medical attention of heart attack symptoms can greatly reduce the risk of heart damage and allow treatment to be started immediately. Even if you're not entirely sure your symptoms are those of a heart attack, it is still advisable for you to be evaluated by a medical specialist.

Heart attack is best treated within one hour of the start of the first symptoms. As heart attack occurs, there's still a limited amount of time before significant and long-lasting damage occurs to the heart muscle. If there’s a large area of the heart that is injured during the heart attack then full recovery becomes much more difficult.