The quicker someone is treated when having a heart attack, the greater the chances of success and lesser the damage to the heart. However, nearly 25% of all heart attacks occur without any previous warning signs. It is imperative to remain aware of all the various symptoms of heart attack for faster and efficient diagnosis and treatment.

Heart Attack Symptoms & Warning signs

Below are mentioned some of the general heart attack symptoms:

Excessive sweating

Palpitation

Difficulty in breathing

Numbness in limbs

Pressure and tightness in the chest area

Pain and aching sensation on the left side of chest or arms spreading to neck, jaw, and back

A feeling of fullness, nausea, and heartburn

Cold sweats, anxiety, and fatigue

Dizziness and an impending sense of doom or dying

Bluish skin colour (in rare cases)

Dr. Nityanand Tripathi, an Interventional Cardiologist talks about symptoms of heart attack in the following video

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Men and Women

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. However, the risks and symptoms can differ. Therefore, men and women alike can reduce their odds of contracting a heart attack by paying attention to their respective heart symptoms mentioned below:

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Men

There is a greater likelihood of experiencing a heart attack if you’re a man. Also, men tend to have heart attacks earlier in life compared to women. Alongside, they have a greater likelihood of recognizing the symptoms of heart attack. Men are more than certain to experience chest pain that feels like “an elephant” is sitting on one’s chest. Other symptoms include:

Upper body pain

Discomfort in arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach

Sporadic heartbeat

Stomach discomfort that feels like indigestion

Shortness of breath even when you’re resting

Dizziness

Breaking out in a cold sweat

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

Women may experience a heart attack without chest pressure. Instead, symptoms of heart attack in women are as following:

Breathlessness

Pressure, pain or squeezing sensation in center of chest region (not necessarily)

Dizziness and/or lightheadedness

Increasing fatigue

Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Nausea

Indigestion

According to one of the top heart bypass surgery doctor in Hyderabad, women are less likely to experience chest pain than men. They experience common symptoms like acid reflux, fatigue, flu, sleep disturbance, anxiety, etc. Therefore, the symptoms of a heart attack in women are subtle. This results in women not taking the early warning signs seriously. According to research, only 65 percent of women call 911 if they think they might be having a heart attack. Therefore, women experiencing heart attacks are less likely to survive than men.

Hence, to sum up, according to a research:

Pain, shortness of breath, fatigue: No gender differences

No gender differences Right-side chest pain or discomfort: More likely to be experienced by men

More likely to be experienced by men Throat discomfort: More likely to be experienced by women

More likely to be experienced by women Dull ache: More likely to be experienced by men

More likely to be experienced by men Pressing on the chest: More likely to be experienced by women

More likely to be experienced by women Nausea and vomiting: More likely to be experienced by women

More likely to be experienced by women Indigestion: More likely to be experienced by men

It is imperative to take a note that each heart attack is different. Heart attack symptoms experienced by one differs from person to person. Therefore, you should trust your instincts and follow your gut feeling if you think something is wrong and visit the nearest doctor as soon as possible.

Also read about: CABG Recovery Exercises

Thus, by being more aware of the various heart attack warning signs and symptoms as well as risk factors, it can be diagnosed and treated well on time and you could save a life. To learn more about the treatments of heart attack available, go to the heart attack treatment article.