Signs of a Heart Attack
Know the symptoms. Recognising them early — in yourself or someone else — can save a life.
Sudden chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack. But not everyone experiences a heart attack the same way — in some cases, particularly among women or people with diabetes, a heart attack can happen without any chest pain at all.
Chest pain can also be caused by a number of other conditions affecting the stomach, chest wall, muscles, or lungs. Ambulance staff or a doctor can carry out the necessary tests to determine whether chest pain is actually caused by a heart attack.
You may experience only one of the symptoms below, or several at once, during a heart attack. If you're in doubt, get checked out.
Women and people with diabetes: heart attacks don’t always come with obvious chest pain for these groups. Symptoms can be subtler — such as fatigue, nausea, or shortness of breath — which is part of why they’re sometimes missed or dismissed. Don’t ignore unusual symptoms just because chest pain isn’t present.
Recognising even one of these could mean the difference between life and death.
A feeling of pressure, tightness, discomfort, or squeezing in the chest.
Pain that spreads to your shoulders, arms, neck, or jaw.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, often without an obvious cause.
Pain in the stomach area, feeling sick, or vomiting.
Feeling faint, unsteady, or like you might lose consciousness.
Struggling to catch your breath, even at rest or with minimal effort.
A sudden, intense sense of dread or anxiety with no clear reason.
