Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Don’t be afraid to call 911. If you don’t know the cause of your symptoms, assume it’s a heart attack. Play it safe and get medical help.
A heart attack is an urgent message from your heart that it’s starved for oxygen. When a clot blocks a heart vessel, oxygen-rich blood can't reach your heart. Then heart muscle begins to die and symptoms of a heart attack begin. The sooner you get to the hospital, the sooner treatment can start to help save your life and your heart muscle.
Know the Signs
Pain or Discomfort
Pain, pressure, fullness, a squeezing feeling, or other discomfort in your chest, under your sternum, or in your mid-back.
Pain may radiate from chest to shoulders, neck, jaw, arms, or back.
The pain or pressure may come and go, especially in women.
Other Symptoms
A profuse cold, clammy sweat on the upper body.
Shortness of breath that feels like a tight rope around the chest.
Heartburn, nausea, or vomiting—especially when it doesn’t seem related to anything you ate.
A lightheaded or weak feeling, especially when you stand up. This feeling is often accompanied by one or more of the symptoms listed above.
Anxiety or a feeling of doom.
Changes in skin color to pale or gray.