Seven signs you’re having a heart attack
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for around 8.9 million deaths globally each year. Men have a higher risk of developing heart disease than women, but women are half as likely to receive the same treatment as men, research shows.
Both men and women can have common heart attack symptoms, but women may experience them differently and may also experience more symptoms unrelated to chest pain than men.
Most recently, former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond died from a suspected massive heart attack on Saturday. Salmond, 69, was attending a diplomacy conference in North Macedonia when he collapsed while opening a ketchup bottle. Local police said he "died on the spot".
Aides said that the former leader of the Scottish National Party had complained about pains in his right leg on the morning of the conference, according to a report in The Times.
Heart attacks occur when the blood supply to the heart is suddenly interrupted, damaging heart muscles. If left untreated, the heart muscles will become irreversibly damaged and can lead to cardiac arrest, where the heart stops beating.
Common signs and symptoms of a heart attack
Heart attack symptoms can vary from person to person. However, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), these are the most common signs of a heart attack:
Chest pain or discomfort that comes on suddenly and doesn’t go away, or spreads to one or both arms, legs, neck, jaw, or back
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint
Feeling sick, indigestion, being sick
Sweating or a cold sweat
Sudden feeling of anxiety that can feel like a panic attack
A lot of coughing or wheezing
Do women experience different heart attack symptoms?
Research by the BHF suggests that women who have heart attacks experience the same key symptoms as men.
However, symptoms can present themselves differently in women than in men, says the Heart Research Institute UK (HRIUK), which can lead to a delay in seeking medical help.
Early diagnosis of a heart attack is essential for treatment and survival. BHF-funded research has previously shown that women having a heart attack are up to 50% more likely than men to receive the wrong initial diagnosis and are less likely to get a pre-hospital ECG.
Women may report chest pain as less severe than men, often describing the pain as pressure or tightness in the chest.
Women are also more likely to experience symptoms unrelated to chest pain, including:
Discomfort in the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or abdomen
Breathlessness and a general feeling of unwellness
Pain, tightness or discomfort in one or both arms
Nausea or vomiting, heartburn, indigestion
Sweating
Light-headedness or dizziness
Unusual fatigue
Women also tend to have heart attack symptoms more often when resting or even while asleep, compared to men.
"While men often experience central chest pain when having a heart attack, women commonly interpret this pain as indigestion simply because they do not expect a heart attack," the HRIUK website explains.
When should I seek medical help?
If you are experiencing continuous heart pain and/or any other heart disease symptoms, you should seek medical help immediately.
For more information or for advice, you can contact the British Heart Foundation’s free nurse helpline on 0808 802 1234 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Read more about heart health:
How to look after your heart health during menopause (Yahoo Life UK, 8-min read)
Doctor lists three 'superfoods' to add to your diet to prevent heart disease (ChronicleLive, 3-min read)
UK women ‘underdiagnosed and undertreated’ for heart disease (PA Media, 4-min read)
