What are the common symptoms of a heart attack?
The classic symptom of a heart attack is chest pain that is unrelieved by rest and often spreads or radiates through the upper body to the arms, neck, shoulders or jaw. However, some patients may only experience chest pressure/discomfort, with or without other symptoms such as the following: shortness of breath, palpitations, fainting, fatigue, sweating or nausea. In contrast with men, women are more likely to feel fatigue or nausea prior to a heart attack. They also feel pain high in the abdomen and chest, and even in the back, neck or jaw. Whatever the nature of the pain, it does not have to be jarring or obvious for it to signal an impending heart attack. In fact, obvious pain is a better signal of an impending heart attack than discomfort or heartburn-like symptoms, which can be easily ignored or mistaken for indigestion.
