What are the symptoms?
The first thing that comes to mind is severe chest pain. The person clutches their chest or arm and falls to the ground. However, this occurs in approximately 70% of cases, which means that a third of all heart attacks come with a different range of indicators.
Knowing about the variety of MI symptoms can save a life.
1. Chest pain
The pain is often described as burning, pressing, squeezing, tearing, bursting, or pulling. It often radiates to other areas: shoulders, shoulder blades, neck, hands, and fingers, sometimes even to the left half of the head. The pain can be constant or come in waves, it might subside or grow – but the longer it lasts, the more likely it’s a heart attack. Chest pain can also be a symptom of angina. The key difference is that angina is the result of narrowed (rather than blocked) coronary arteries. If the symptoms ease with rest, your chest pain may be linked to chronic angina. If the pain doesn’t go away after a rest or lasts for more than 10 minutes, it’s likely to be a heart attack. MI chest pain usually lasts for more than 20 minutes.
Never hesitate to call an ambulance if you have severe and prolonged pain. This symptom is clearly a sign of an emergency.
