Warning signs and symptoms of heart attack
 Recognizing heart
attacks can save lives, including your own. Unlike in the movies, where
people collapse from crushing pain in the chest, many heart attacks are much
"quieter." They may develop slowly with mild pain or discomfort in
different parts of the body and are oftentimes not recognized as heart
attack symptoms.
Too many people wait at least two hours and sometimes a day or more before seeking
medical help. They worry about the embarrassment of a false alarm or inconveniencing
their family. Unfortunately, significant damage to the heart may occur while
waiting to seek care.
During a heart attack, you may experience many of these symptoms, only a few
or none. Some may even go away and return. What's important is to recognize
the symptoms and get help fast.
- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center
of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and returns.
It may feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Heart attacks can also
begin with pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or
abdomen.
- Shortness of breath. This may occur along with chest pain but
can also take place before any chest discomfort.
- "Flu-like" symptoms. In some cases, heart attack victims
may experience a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
A women's disease
Heart disease is not just a "man's" disease. Heart disease is the
#1 killer of American women. Nearly twice as many women die from heart disease
than from all forms of cancer combined.
Often, the warning signs for heart attacks are very different for women than
for men. They may be more subtle. This can lead to a delay in seeking treatment,
which endangers a woman's survival rate.
Get medical help immediately if you, or a woman you know, experience any of
these symptoms:
- sudden dizziness
- shortness of breath
- sudden sweating
- back pain between the shoulder blades
For more information about heart disease and women, visit our Women's
Heart Center.
Heart disease is everyone’s concern
- Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America.
- Each year, two of five deaths in the United States are caused by cardiovascular
disease, more than 2,500 per day.
- At least 250,000 people die of heart attacks each year before they
reach a hospital.
- Half of all heart attack victims wait more than two hours before getting
help.
- As many as 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, a leading
contributor to heart disease. Of those, 35 percent don’t know they have
it.
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Heart disease and women
- Almost half of all female deaths in the United States are caused by
cardiovascular disease.
- Approximately 38 percent of women who have a heart attack die within
one year, compared with 25 percent of men.
- Cardiovascular disease ranks first among all disease categories in
hospital discharges for women.
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What to do
Call 911 if symptoms persist more than a few minutes. If you or someone
you're with experiences one or more the symptoms listed here, call for help
right away. Emergency health care professionals can immediately begin treatment
on the way to your local hospital.
Get treated at a hospital that specializes in cardiac care. When
you need advanced treatment, choose a hospital that specializes in cardiac care.
You want to be sure you are treated by respected cardiologists and medical specialists
who are experienced in treating heart problems and offer the most advanced technologies
and treatments. Your heart deserves the best.
The
Nasseff Heart Center of United Hospital offers extensive cardiac
specialties, a respected cardiac team, state-of-the-art facilities and a leading
regional research program.
In the meantime, be prepared. Reduce your heart attack risks. Recognize
the symptoms. And know where to get help. Ask your doctor about the Heart United, and trust your heart to the right place.
For more information about heart attack and cardiovascular disease, visit Allina's Heart
Health Condition Center.
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