Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency
Whether the symptoms seem obvious or are more subtle, take them seriously and get immediate medical care.
Typical heart attack symptoms
- Chest discomfort or pain. This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.
- Upper body pain. Pain or discomfort may spread beyond the chest to the shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. Some people have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.
- Stomach pain. Pain may extend downward into the belly area and may feel like heartburn.
- Shortness of breath. You may gasp for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before any chest discomfort. Some people don't have chest discomfort.
- Anxiety. You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason.
- Lightheadedness. In addition to feeling chest pressure, you may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
- Sweating. You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.
- Nausea and vomiting. You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.
- Heart palpitations. You may feel as if your heart is skipping beats, or you may just be very aware that your heart is beating.
Get help immediately
Heart attack symptoms can vary widely. For instance, you may have only minor chest discomfort while someone else has excruciating pain.
One thing applies to everyone, though: If you think that you're having a heart attack, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number.
If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only if there are absolutely no other options.
Symptoms may not be dramatic
Movies and TV often portray heart attacks as dramatic, chest-clutching events. But heart attacks often begin with subtle symptoms — such as discomfort that may not even be described as pain.
It can be tempting to try to downplay the symptoms or brush them off as indigestion or anxiety. But don't "tough out" heart attack symptoms for more than five minutes. Call 911 or other emergency medical services for help.
Women may have different symptoms
Women may have all, many, a few or none of the typical heart attack symptoms. Some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest is still a common symptom of a heart attack in women. However, many women have heart attack symptoms without chest pain. Symptoms of a heart attack in women may include:
- Pain in the neck, back, shoulders or jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Stomach pain or heartburn
- Pain in one or both arms
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or fainting
- Unusual or unexplained fatigue, possibly for days
Older adults and people with diabetes may have no or very mild symptoms of a heart attack. Never ignore heart attack symptoms, even if they don't seem serious.
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.
To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.
June 28, 2022
- Cydulka RK, et al., eds. Chest pain. In: Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine Manual. 8th ed. McGraw-Hill Education; 2018.
- Stouffer GA, et al. The history and physical examination. In: Netter's Cardiology. 3rd ed. Elsevier; 2019. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 7, 2022.
- Heart attack. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-attack. Accessed April 7, 2022.
- Papadakis MA, et al., eds. Heart disease: Symptoms and signs. In: Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2022. 61st ed. McGraw Hill; 2022. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed April 7, 2022.
- Symptoms of a heart attack. American Heart Association. https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women/symptoms-of-a-heart-attack. Accessed April 7, 2022.
- Deedwania PC. Silent myocardial ischemia: Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed April 7, 2022.
See more In-depth
See also
- Abdominal pain
- Angina treatment: Stents, drugs, lifestyle changes — What's best?
- Anxiety disorders
- Blood tests for heart disease
- Calcium supplements: A risk factor for heart attack?
- Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?
- Cardiac catheterization
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): First aid
- Chelation therapy for heart disease: Does it work?
- Chest X-rays
- Coronary angiogram
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- Coronary artery disease
- Coronary artery disease: Angioplasty or bypass surgery?
- What is coronary artery disease? A Mayo Clinic cardiologist explains.
- Coronary artery disease FAQs
- Daily aspirin therapy
- Dizziness
- Drug-eluting stents
- Echocardiogram
- Ejection fraction: What does it measure?
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Excessive sweating
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
- Fatigue
- Flu Shot Prevents Heart Attack
- Flu shots and heart disease
- Four Steps to Heart Health
- Grass-fed beef
- Healthy Heart for Life!
- Heart and Blood Health
- Heart attack
- Heart attack
- Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
- Heart Attack Timing
- Heart disease
- Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors
- Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
- Heartburn or chest pain?
- Interval Training
- Menus for heart-healthy eating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Niacin to improve cholesterol numbers
- NSAIDs: Do they increase my risk of heart attack and stroke?
- Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health
- Omega-3 in fish
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?
- Pseudoaneurysm: What causes it?
- Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol
- Shortness of breath
- Silent heart attack
- Sleep disorders
- Heart disease prevention
- Stress test
- Symptom Checker
- Integrative approaches to treating pain
- Nutrition and pain
- Pain rehabilitation
- Self-care approaches to treating pain
- Video: Heart and circulatory system
.