Casey County Hospital

Heart Attack and Symptoms

In the United States alone, roughly 800,000 people per year suffer a heart attack. That’s quite a number of men and women of all ages coping with a painful medical issue; often regardless of their state of health. 

Even though heart attacks don’t typically discriminate, a chilling reality is how many women die within a year after their attack occurred. Heart disease is unfortunately very common in females, so much so that it takes more female lives every year over breast cancer. 

Is there a way to prevent a heart attack, or possibly know when you may be developing one? Experts say the vast majority of heart attack patients have several common warning signs just days leading up to their attacks that if known, could possibly save someone’s life. 

Here are the 10 most common signs and symptoms of a heart attack: 

1. Suffocating or Restriction – Many heart attack patients report they felt a restrictive or suffocating effect taking over within their torsos prior to their attacks. It can also begin in the jaw, neck, or face in the form of tension restricting those areas of muscles. 

2. Catch Your Breath – Heart attack survivors commonly experience shortness of breath as a direct result of not having sufficient blood flow to their lungs or heart. 

3. Dizziness – Patients have had dizzy spells in the days prior to the onset of a heart attack. Please do not operate a vehicle if you’re having any dizziness as it can place you and others on the road in serious danger. 

4. Sweating – Imagine having a cold sweat problem for no apparent reason; this is what heart attack sufferers have experienced. They were not exercising or doing anything strenuous at the time the sweating came about. 

5. Flu or Cold – Many that have had cardiac issues of all sorts say they felt as if they were getting the flu or just a bad cold days before their heart attacks. 

6. Panic Attacks – Anxiety and panic can set in fairly quickly for heart attack patients. They have reported to their medical teams they felt a panic attack was ensuing, some even had the need to utilize a paper bag to breathe calmly. 

7. Tired or Fatigued – This can begin to develop several days prior to the onset of a heart attack, which is tricky seeing that most are overscheduled currently, you may not realize the severity of your symptoms. Blood doesn’t travel to muscles before a cardiac issue, resulting in dreadful fatigue. 

8. Pain in Chest Area – Most associate heart attacks with terrific chest pain episodes. The fact is, while chest pains are commonly reported, they aren’t a “must have” symptom to have endured a heart attack. The pain can begin in the chest and radiate if cardiac pain, and one should see a doctor immediately. 

9. Shoulder or Arm Pain – Typically within the upper arm or shoulder area there can be odd pains or tightness the patient isn’t accustomed to feeling. 

10. Trouble Sleeping – Heart attack survivors generally disclose they had problems sleeping in days leading up to their attacks. 

To review, if you feel you are experiencing any of these, or a combination of listed symptoms, please seek medical attention at once. The sooner the heart attack is diagnosed or prevented, the better the outcome will be for the patient. 

For more information on the heart, go to the American Heart Association’s website, www.heart.org.