What are common symptoms of a heart attack?

A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, typically presents with a range of symptoms, and the most recognized ones include chest pain, shortness of breath, and sweating. Chest pain is often described as a feeling of pressure, squeezing, or fullness in the center or left side of the chest, which may last for more than a few minutes or go away and come back. This discomfort can radiate to the shoulders, neck, arms, back, teeth, or jaw.

Shortness of breath can occur with or without chest discomfort and is a critical sign of the heart struggling to pump blood adequately. Excessive sweating, also known as diaphoresis, is often a response to stress and indicates that the body is in distress, further emphasizing the seriousness of the event.

In contrast, while symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, back pain, fatigue, and palpitations can accompany other medical conditions or less severe complications, they are not as characteristic of a heart attack as the trio of chest pain, shortness of breath, and sweating. Therefore, the presence of these specific symptoms can significantly aid in quickly identifying and addressing a potential cardiac emergency.