Early Warning Signs of a Heart Attack - 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.

Early Warning Signs of a Heart Attack & Symptoms

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

Also Read: Cardiac Arrest vs Heart Attack vs Heart Failure

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. Also Read: Could You Have a Heart Attack and Not Know It?Hence, to sum up, according to a research:

Pain, shortness of breath, fatigue: No gender differences
Right-side chest pain or discomfort: More likely to be experienced by men
Throat discomfort: More likely to be experienced by women
Dull ache: More likely to be experienced by men
Pressing on the chest: More likely to be experienced by women
Nausea and vomiting: 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. If you seen any signs of a Heart Attack then you may consult in Narayana Hospital HSR Layout

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. If you found any Signs of a Heart Attack then you may consult in Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Delhi.