Heart Attack Symptoms

A heart attack occurs when a blood clot blocks the blood flow through a coronary artery. A coronary artery is a vessel that feeds blood to a part of the heart muscle. Another name for a heart attack is a Myocardial Infarction. A heart attack can be fatal. Heart attacks are mostly common in elderly people or people who develop weak lungs and require the heart to do more work to pump blood throughout the body.  Living a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, or just taking precautions and staying healthy can avoid weak lungs. Heart attacks are shown as a very dramatic experience in movies, however in real life they are not always as obvious. There are many symptoms that can forecast a heart attack. Chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath, etc. are all symptoms of a heart attack. 

Everyone experiences heart attacks differently. Symptoms for heart attacks vary in different people. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms or experiences them to the same level. There is no certain time a heart attack will occur. Heart attacks can happen while someone is running or even while someone is sleeping. It is important for people to tell someone if they are feeling any sort of unusual pain. The worst thing a person can do is just ignore the pain and not tell anyone. Most important thing is to consult a doctor. The very first symptom most people experience is chest pain, also known as angina. Sweating or cold sweat is a symptom of heart attacks that most people are unaware of. Feeling fatigue, but having trouble sleeping can signal a heart attack. Symptoms are different for everyone, therefore don't automatically assume a person is not having a heart attack if you don't feel any of these symptoms..

The symptoms also vary based on gender. The symptoms women have vary from the symptoms men have. There are six common symptoms in women. Chest pain and discomfort, pain in the arms, back, neck, and jaw, stomach pain, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheartedness, sweating, and fatigue are all among those symptoms. Chest pain or discomfort is almost always the very first symptom women feel. Pain in the arms, back, neck, and jaw usually confuses people. Because women usually expect the pain to be in their chest, neck pain and jaw pain confuses them to make them think it's not a heart attack. Stomach pain is easily mistaken as a symptom of the flu. Women who are having a heart attack, are common to break out into a cold sweat. Some women feel extremely tired even if they haven't done much work. With women, it is hard to tell about a symptom since the pain isn't always near the heart. However, the symptoms for men are different. 

The symptoms for men aren't as many as there are for women, but they are just as severe. The main three symptoms in men are chest pain, chest discomfort, and chest pressure. Studies show that men are more likely to report chest pain when compared to women. Because the symptoms aren't as many and are in the chest area, men are quickly able to identify a heart attack coming. It's not always the symptoms that cause a heart attack, it can also be hereditary. It can be in a persons genes to suffer from a heart disease or have weak lungs which can cause a person to have a heart attack. The best way to omit these symptoms and reduce the chance of a heart attack is by building a healthy lifestyle.

In conclusion, heart attacks can be deadly and fatal and should be acted upon right away. Symptoms can be different for different people; however there are a few common symptoms the majority of the people experience. Almost everyone experience angina, which is the chest pain that occurs to signal a heart attack. Since the symptoms women experience don’t seem to be as directly related to a heart attack, they tend to report it less than the male population facing heart attacks. Heart attacks can be hereditary as well; therefore just because you have a healthy lifestyle doesn't always mean you won't have a heart attack or any other kind of disease. Heart attacks are a deadly disease; therefore, they should never be taken as easily. Heart attacks are a serious matter and require attention for precautions to be taken to protect against the attack. Within the past few years, treatments have improved a lot and are still being improved.

Sources: 

The IU Health Blog

NIH

MedicineNet.com

WebMD

Mayo Clinic