Heart Attack Symptoms

The onset of heart attack symptoms can be very sudden and require immediate medical attention. An ambulance should be called and critical care services alerted as soon as symptoms appear.

Some of the symptoms of heart attack include:

  • Chest pain – There chest may feel heavy and painful, as if it is being compressed. The pain may last for more than a few minutes or it may come and go.
  • The pain may not stay confined to the chest and may radiate to the arms (usually the left arm), the neck, jaws, back and abdomen.
  • The pain may be mild or severe and is often mistaken for heartburn or indigestion
  • Feeling of weakness
  • Sweating
  • Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
  • Shortness of breath, coughing and/or wheezing
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • An intense feeling of anxiety that is often described as a sinking sensation and sense of impending doom.
  • Heart attack can also lead to more serious complications such as arrhythmia or irregularity of the heart rhythm. These are usually atrial arrhythmias that arise from the atrium. Ventricular arrythmias are more serious because they can cause the heart to spasm and stop beating altogether. This is known as sudden cardiac arrest. Some of the symptoms of this condition include:
    • Loss of consciousness
    • Cessation of breathing and movement
    • Nonresponsiveness to sound or touch

If the above symptoms occur, chest compressions need to be started immediately. The rate of compression should be around 100-120 compressions per minute. This is called CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

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Comments

  1. STTEPHERSON MATIAS STTEPHERSON MATIAS Brazil says:

    Posso sentir esses sintomas dias antes de infartar,ou ocorrem todos no mesmo dia,venho sentindo vários sintomas de infarto a mais ou menos 6 dias..oq pode ser?Posso ter infartado?

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
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