What Symptoms Should Tip You Off a Heart Attack ?
The classic symptoms of a heart attack include intense, sometimes squeezing, chest pressure or pain, often radiating to the jaw or left arm, and frequently accompanied by profuse sweating, or a nearly overwhelming sense of fear or impending doom.
Unfortunately, many patients with heart attacks do not have this classic presentation. Their discomfort may be relatively mild, and may be localized to the back, abdomen, shoulders, or either or both arms. Nausea and vomiting, or merely a feeling of heartburn, may be the only symptom. These less classic symptoms may not make patients think of a heart problem, and may keep them from seeking medical help. Indeed, up to 30% of heart attacks are diagnosed by taking a routine ECG long after the fact.
This is why people with one or more risk factors for coronary artery disease need to pay close attention to any unusual symptoms involving the upper half of the body. This warning would apply, for instance, for any middle-aged or older person who is obese, sedentary, a smoker, a diabetic, overweight, has high cholesterol, or has a family history of heart disease. (Ideally, of course, such people will have been evaluated by a competent physician who will have screened them for the presence of coronary artery disease, coached them on risk factor modification, and heightened their awareness of potential cardiac problems.)
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