Warning Signs of a Heart Attack and What To Do
A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or blocked. This prevents the heart from getting oxygen and nutrients it needs to function properly. Heart attacks require emergency medical treatment and can be fatal, so it's critical to recognize the signs and act quickly.
Table of Contents
- Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack
- Risk Factors for Heart Attack
- What to Do if You Suspect a Heart Attack
- Diagnosis and Emergency Treatment
- Long-Term Care After a Heart Attack
- Preventing Future Heart Attacks
Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. Here are some of the most common heart attack signs:
- Chest discomfort - Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas - Pain can also occur in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath - This symptom often comes along with chest discomfort.
- Nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness - Along with chest pain, heart attack victims may feel weak, dizzy, or nauseated.
- Cold sweat - Breaking out in a cold sweat is another sign that can point to a heart attack.
Women are more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Risk Factors for Heart Attack
Certain conditions and lifestyle factors raise your risk of having a heart attack. These heart attack risk factors include:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High LDL cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Family history of heart attack
- Age - Men over 45 and women over 55
- Stress
The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk of a heart attack. However, heart attacks can still occur in people without any of these risk factors.
What to Do if You Suspect a Heart Attack
- Call 911 immediately - Every minute counts when someone is having a heart attack. Emergency medical services can begin treatment en route to the hospital.
- Chew and swallow an aspirin - Unless you're allergic, taking an aspirin during a heart attack can help reduce damage to the heart muscle.
- Take nitroglycerin if prescribed - If you take nitroglycerin tablets for chest pain, take one dose under your tongue if chest discomfort doesn't go away within 5 minutes of resting or taking aspirin.
- Keep calm and get help fast - Anxiety increases the heart's oxygen demands. Try to stay calm until emergency medical help arrives.
Diagnosis and Emergency Treatment
At the hospital, doctors will run tests to confirm you're having a heart attack and determine the extent of damage to your heart:
- ECG - Checks your heart's electrical activity, which may indicate a heart attack.
- Blood tests - Measures cardiac enzyme levels, which rise when heart muscle is damaged.
- Echocardiogram - Uses sound waves to create images of the heart to identify which area is damaged.
- Coronary angiography - Checks arteries supplying the heart for blockages using dye and X-rays.
Once a heart attack is diagnosed, treatment focuses on restoring blood flow as quickly as possible. This may involve medication, angioplasty to open blocked arteries, or coronary bypass surgery.
Long-Term Care After a Heart Attack
After surviving a heart attack, most people remain in the hospital for several days. Some steps in ongoing heart attack care include:
- Medications - Such as aspirin, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, and statins to prevent future attacks.
- Lifestyle changes - Improvements in diet, exercise, stress management, and smoking cessation.
- Cardiac rehabilitation - Supervised program to safely increase fitness and strength.
- Follow-up monitoring - Regular doctor visits to monitor medications, symptoms, and recovery.
Making the right lifestyle changes and sticking to your treatment plan can help prevent another heart attack in the future.
Preventing Future Heart Attacks
There are many steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a first or repeat heart attack:
- Don't smoke
- Maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Control blood sugar if diabetic
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a nutritious, heart-healthy diet
- Stay physically active
- Manage stress levels
- Limit alcohol
- Take medications as prescribed
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack and What To Do - Knowing the symptoms of a heart attack and getting prompt emergency care can greatly improve survival and recovery. Reduce your risk by controlling heart disease risk factors and living an overall healthy lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the most common symptom of a heart attack?
Chest pain or discomfort is the most common heart attack symptom. However, women are more likely to experience other symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, and back or jaw pain.
2. How long do heart attack symptoms last?
In most cases, the symptoms persist for more than 15 minutes. However, they can come and go over the course of hours or even days before a heart attack fully occurs.
3. What is the first thing you should do if you think you're having a heart attack?
Call 911 immediately. Every minute counts when someone is experiencing a heart attack. Emergency medical services can start treatment right away and transport you to a hospital promptly.
4. How is a heart attack diagnosed?
Doctors use tests like an ECG, blood work measuring cardiac enzyme levels, echocardiogram, and coronary angiography to diagnose heart attacks.
5. What are the treatment options for a heart attack?
Emergency treatments focus on quickly restoring blood flow. This can involve medications, angioplasty with stents to reopen blocked arteries, or coronary bypass surgery.
