A heart attack is a stoppage of blood flow to the heart. While chest pain is the most common symptom, recognizing other symptoms can help ensure you receive prompt treatment and limit damage to your heart.

Heart attacks are very common in the United States. About 805,000Trusted Source heart attacks occur each year, or roughly one every 40 seconds.

Chest pain is the most common warning sign of a heart attack. But other symptoms can also occur, like lightheadedness, nausea, and shortness of breath.

Symptoms can be severe or mild and often vary from one person to the next. Some people may not even notice any warning signs of a heart attack.

This article will take a closer look what causes a heart attack, how to recognize it, what steps to take, and what to expect for treatment.

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked or cut off. If there’s not enough oxygen-rich blood flowing to the heart, it can damage the affected area. As a result, the heart muscle begins to die.

Diagram showing how a blood clot and plaque ruptures can cause a heart attack Share on Pinterest
Illustration by Bailey Mariner

When your heart isn’t getting the blood and oxygen it needs to function properly, it can put you at a higher risk of heart failure and other serious complications.

A heart attack is a life threatening medical emergency

If you, or someone around you, experiences the symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 or your local emergency services immediately. The sooner you can get medical treatment that restores normal blood flow to your heart, the better your chance of a successful outcome.

General symptoms for a heart attack can include:

Anyone experiencing any of the above heart attack symptoms should contact emergency services immediately.

How heart attack symptoms vary between men and women

Many people experience a mix of heart attack symptoms regardless of sex or gender. However, there are sex-specific differences in the presentation, biology, and outcomes of heart attacks.

A 2019 studyTrusted Source found that chest pain was the most common symptom regardless of sex. According to the American Heart Association (AHA)Trusted Source, females are somewhat more likely than men to experience the following heart attack symptoms:

  • shortness of breath
  • nausea or vomiting
  • pain in the upper back or jaw
  • dizziness or lightheadedness
  • extreme fatigue

How heart attack symptoms may differ for people with diabetes

People with diabetes are more likelyTrusted Source to have silent heart attacks compared to people who don’t have diabetes. A silent heart attack means you don’t experience symptoms, but there’s still damage to your heart.

This may be due to cardiac autonomic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that’s a common complication of diabetes. It may interfere with the ability to feel chest pain caused by a heart attack.

Angina vs. heart attack

Angina is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. It’s the pain you feel during a heart attack, but it’s also a symptom of heart disease due to blockages in the arteries that supply blood to your heart.

Some people experience frequent and predictable bouts of angina with triggers like exertion. Known as chronic stable angina, this usually eases with rest within about 5 minutesTrusted Source.

However, angina that’s new or changed may be due to a heart attack. If your chest pain doesn’t subside with rest or lasts longer than usual, you may be having a heart attack.

» MORE: How to Tell the Difference Between Angina and a Heart Attack

The leading cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease. That’s when plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. The general buildup of plaque in the arteries is also known as atherosclerosis.

Doctors can classify heart attacks according to the cause:

  • Type 1: The heart attack occurs when a sudden disruption of blood flow occurs due to plaque rupture or a blood clot.
  • Type 2: The lack of oxygen supply to the heart is not due to an event but a systemic issue, like low blood pressure or a fast heart rate.

Other causes of heart attacks include:

Several factorsTrusted Source can put you at greater risk of a heart attack. You can’t change some factors, such as age and family history.

However, you can make changes related to the following modifiable risk factors:

Heart disease is the leading causeTrusted Source of death among most ethnic and racial groups in the United States and the most common cause of heart attacks.

People of any age or sex can have a heart attack. However, your risk of a heart attackTrusted Source increases with age. Older adults are most likely to have heart attacks. Males are more likely to have heart attacks earlier in life. Heart disease risk increases in females after menopauseTrusted Source.

You may be at higher risk of a heart attack if you have a family history of any of the following:

  • heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • high cholesterol
  • obesity
  • diabetes

Doctors typically diagnose a heart attack after they perform a physical exam and review your medical history. A doctor will likely conduct an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart’s electrical activity.

Your healthcare team will likely also take a blood sample or perform other tests to check for evidence of heart muscle damage. One common test checks for levels of troponin T, a protein found in the heart muscle. Elevated troponin T levels may suggest a heart attack.

Diagnostic imaging can help doctors see how blood is flowing through the heart and detect if any parts have been damaged. Cardiac catheterization is a test that allows a doctor to visualize blood flow and treat blockages. A doctor may also perform other imaging tests to evaluate the heart, includingTrusted Source:

If you’ve had a heart attack, a doctor may recommend a surgical or nonsurgical procedure. These procedures can relieve pain and help prevent another heart attack from occurring.

Common procedures includeTrusted Source:

  • Angioplasty: An angioplasty opens the blocked artery by using a balloon or removing the plaque buildup. Healthcare professionals rarely use angioplasty alone anymore.
  • Stent: A stent is a wire mesh tube surgeons insert into the artery to keep it open after angioplasty.
  • Heart bypass surgery: In bypass surgery, a doctor reroutes the blood around the blockage.
  • Heart transplant: Surgeons may recommend a heart transplant in cases of serious and irreversible heart failure.

A doctor may also prescribe medications to treat your heart attack, including:

Timing is crucial

Timely treatment of a heart attack is crucial. The sooner you get treatment after having a heart attack, the more quickly blood flow can be restored to the affected part of your heart, and the more successful the outcome is likely to be.

Doctors who treat heart attacks

Since heart attacks are often unexpected, an emergency room doctor is usually the first healthcare professional to diagnose a heart attack. They may also provide initial medications to break up the blood clot.

The emergency doctor will transfer you to a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in treating heart conditions. Cardiologists perform procedures to treat heart attacks and oversee their management and recovery.

If you are with someone who’s experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, call emergency services immediately and follow the instructions they give you regarding what to do.

If the person isn’t responsive and doesn’t have a pulse, doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or using an automated external defibrillator (AED) can be lifesaving.

Most businesses and many public places have AEDs, but if one isn’t present, continue to perform CPR until help arrives. Giving CPR can help pump oxygenated blood through a person’s body until emergency services arrive.

The sooner a person can get emergency medical attention, the less damage their heart muscle will likely sustain.

If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, the AHATrusted Source advises calling 911 or your local emergency services immediately, rather than attempting to drive yourself to the hospital.

Paramedics can begin treating you when they arrive and monitor you on the way to the emergency department.

Follow the instructions of the emergency personnel on whether to take an aspirin and let them know if you have any medication allergies or bleeding. The antiplatelet qualities of aspirin may help break up the clot that might be blocking blood flow to your heart.

If possible, ask a family member, friend, or neighbor to be with you while you wait for the ambulance or are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Timely treatment for women who have heart attacks

Because females are more likely to experience atypical heart attack symptoms, they tend to wait longer to contact emergency services, according to a 2019 Swiss study. Researchers also found that women tend to experience greater delays in receiving treatment in emergency settings.

Recognizing the symptoms of heart attacks in females can make a big difference in getting timely treatment.

Heart attacks can result in various complications. When a heart attack occurs, it can disrupt your heart’s normal rhythm, potentially stopping it altogether. These abnormal rhythms are known as arrhythmias and can cause sudden cardiac death.

When your heart stops getting a supply of blood during a heart attack, some of the heart tissue can die. This can weaken your heart and cause serious complications such as heart failure.

Heart attacks can also affect your heart valves and cause leaks.

The long-term effects on your heart will depend on how long it takes to receive medical treatment and how much damage your heart sustains.

A heart attack can damage your heart muscles and affect their function. This can include changing your heart’s rhythm and reducing its ability to pump blood effectively to all the organs and tissues in your body.

Following a heart attack, it’s essential to work with your healthcare team to design a recovery plan. This plan may include the following lifestyle changes:

While some risk factors are beyond your control, you can take some basic steps to help keep your heart healthy. Examples includeTrusted Source:

  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet: Try to incorporate heart-healthy foods, like lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy, as often as possible. Limit fatty, fried foods and foods that contain simple sugars like sodas, baked goods, and white bread.
  • Exercise regularly: Aim for at least 150 minutesTrusted Source of physical activity a week for optimum heart health.
  • Quit smoking: If you smoke, consider talking with a doctor about starting a smoking cessation program.
  • Limit your alcohol intake: Moderation is key when it comes to alcohol and heart health. If you do drink, limit yourself to one drink per dayTrusted Source for women or two drinks per day for men.
  • Get your cholesterol levels checked: If your LDL cholesterol or triglycerides are higher than they should be, talk with a doctor about what you need to do to lower them.
  • Manage diabetes: If you have diabetes, take your medications as prescribed and check your blood glucose levels regularly.
  • Work with a doctor: If you have a heart condition, work closely with a doctor and follow your treatment plan, which includes taking your medications.

Most people who have a heart attack survive. Still, it’s important to know how to reduce your risk and how to respond if you experience symptoms of a heart attack.

While chest pain is the most common symptom, it’s only one of several common signs of a heart attack. If you think you may be having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. The sooner you get treatment for a heart attack, the better the outcome will likely be.

Doctors can use various tests to diagnose a heart attack and guide treatment. Effective treatment plans help restore blood flow and minimize complications.

If you have any risk factors for a heart attack, talk with a doctor about steps you can take to lower your risk.