Forsyth Medical Center 
Warning Signs
| Help to ensure the safety of your family and friends by knowing the warning signs of a heart attack. |
Below are classic warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
- Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms
- Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
- Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain
- Nausea or dizziness (without chest pain)
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing (without chest pain)
- Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
- Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness
For more information on heart disease, click here.
For women, the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can be very different than those for men, and most women arent aware of that.. According to the American Heart Association, fewer than 8% of women view heart disease as being a major threat to women's health.
Here are the facts every woman should know:
- Many times, women having a heart attack don't have classic signs. They may experience abdominal or mid-back pain, jaw pain, indigestion or extreme fatigue, rather than radiating chest pain.
- Most women - more than 50% - don't realize that smoking will lower the age at which they might have a heart attack.
- Women with risk factors, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, are 2 1/2 to 3 times more likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest.
While your risk of heart disease increases with age and the onset of menopause, you can start making small changes now - no matter what your age - that will have a big impact on your heart's health.
Click here to learn more about how heart disease affects women.
