A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, occurs when oxygen fails to reach part of the heart muscle, resulting in damage or death of the tissue. Heart attacks can occur suddenly with symptoms such as chest pain being intense and unmistakable, but most often they begin slowly with only minor discomfort, making it difficult to realize a heart attack is occurring. Every year approximately 1.1 million people suffer from heart attacks, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Nearly half of the people who experience heart attacks die. Time is of the essence to prevent additional damage to the heart. Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack can save a life.
Chest Discomfort
Heart attacks occur when blood flowing from the coronary arteries into the heart is restricted. This could be due to a blockage from a blood clot or from atherosclerosis---the build-up of a fatty substance called plaque. This lack of oxygen causes discomfort in the chest area. A variety of conditions can cause chest pain, including common heartburn, but the discomfort felt during a heart attack feels like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or just outright pain, according to the American Heart Association. The chest discomfort lasts for more than a few minutes and often subsides, then returns.
Upper Body Discomfort
Pain felt in other areas of the upper body can also signal a heart attack. Pain can often be felt in one or both arms, most commonly the left arm since the heart lies slightly to the left in the chest cavity. Other warning signs of a heart attack include pain in the neck, back, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of Breath
The heart functions as the pump to propel oxygenated blood throughout the body. Restricted flow of blood means that less oxygen flows to the heart and to rest of the body. This causes shortness of breath---the inability to take in enough air or the feeling of labored breathing. Although a variety of conditions cause shortness of breath, unexplained shortness of breath especially accompanied by any other listed warning sign can indicate a heart attack.
Cold Sweats
A person experiencing a heart attack will often have feelings of anxiety that seem irrational. The body triggers feelings of fear related to the impending death of the heart muscle. This fear and anxiety causes cold sweats and a clammy feeling.
Nausea
Although a heart attack does not directly involve the stomach or digestive tract, a heart attack can cause nausea and vomiting. The feeling of nausea often occurs when the lower portion of the heart is affected by the heart attack.
Lightheadedness
The feeling of lightheadedness occurs due to a lack of oxygen flowing to the brain cells. During a heart attack, the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart is restricted, reducing the flow of oxygen to the remaining body, including the brain.
