Heart Attack Warning Signs

When it comes to heart attacks, you need to get the right treatment fast. 

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
A heart attack is a medical emergency requiring immediate attention. Emergency medical personnel can begin to care for heart attack patients up to an hour sooner than if the patient drove to the hospital. Call 9-1-1 if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Learn more about the warning signs of a heart attack from the American Heart Association.

Risk Factors
A combination of factors constitutes a healthy heart. Unfortunately, some risk factors cannot be changed. According to American Heart Association, risk factors that are unchangeable include increasing age, male sex (gender) and heredity (including race). These risks come with an increased chance of developing coronary heart disease and may require more frequent checkups than people without these risk factors.

Modifiable risk factors include tobacco smoke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and overweight and diabetes mellitus. To learn more about how to avoid these preventable risks and decrease your chance of developing coronary heart disease, follow the link to the American Heart Association.

Made possible with funding through the Texas Healthy Communities Program.