The
first hour of a heart attack is known as the “golden hour.” If you get
help during that first hour, your chances of recovery are greatly
improved. Yet many people hesitate to get help when they first
experience symptoms. They’re afraid of the embarrassment of going to
the emergency room and finding that nothing is wrong. So, it is
important that you know the symptoms that may indicate that a heart
attack is in progress.

Many
of the symptoms of heart attack can be brought on by digestive
disturbances or other less serious conditions. But only sophisticated
medical tests can determine for sure if you’re having a heart attack.
Heart attacks may vary from person to person, and from heart attack to
heart attack. Women, for example, may experience “atypical’ symptoms
such as pain between the shoulder blades rather than crushing chest
pain. This may result in them delaying seeking treatment. That is a
great mistake.

Heart
attack is one instance where getting treatment promptly can mean the
difference between life and death. If you are in doubt, err on the side
of being more cautious and go to the emergency room and get yourself
checked. We will try to describe some of the most common
characteristics of heart attack here. Before that we will introduce the
other pain called angina which is often precursor to a heart attack.

Angina Pectoris or Angina

Angina
pectoris is a precursor to a heart attack. Usually, what happens is
this: During physical exertion, during stress or an emotionally charged
situation, in cold weather or after a big meal, the heart beats faster.
Heart requires more oxygenated blood flow to the heart muscle to
maintain the beating. But if the channels by which the blood and oxygen
flow to the heart are narrowed, not enough nutrients get to the heart
muscle tissue. It suffers oxygen deficiency, and the heart tells you
about this with a pain called angina pectoris.

The pain is quite distinct. It is
described as: “a heavy, strangulating, suffocating experience-far more
intense than anything like indigestion, chest wall injuries, pleurisy
or spasms of the esophagus that you are familiar with. The pain may
seem to start under the breastbone, on the left side of the chest, and
sometimes radiates out to other places: throat, neck, jaw, left
shoulder and arm and, occasionally, on to the right side.

Angina
is an intense, scary episode. But with rest and calm (or by placing
nitroglycerin or another kind of nitrate under the tongue), angina
attacks usually go away in about 15 minutes or so. If they last longer
than that, go to the hospital and have a thorough check up.
Long-lasting angina attacks may be the prelude to heart attacks.

The
statistics show that half of those with angina pectoris suffer sudden
deaths, a third have heart attacks, and most victims are older men. And
an estimated 350,000 new cases of angina occur each year.

Although
you may not appreciate it when you are suffering from pain, angina
itself is not bad. In fact it may be a blessing! Some doctors call
angina “God’s gift to humans” because many heart problems are silent,
without symptoms, and go unnoticed until they become the cause of
sudden death. Angina is an early warning sign that something is wrong.
Its presence may help identify those at risk of heart attack so that
you can seek proper medical treatment promptly.

Heart Attack

Dizziness can be an early symptom of heart attack

Cardiac
chest pain is often vague, or dull, and may be described as a pressure
or band-like sensation, squeezing, heaviness, or other discomfort.

Heart
attacks frequently occur from 4:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. due to higher
adrenaline amounts released from the adrenal glands during the morning
hours. Increased adrenaline in the bloodstream can contribute to the
rupture of the plaque that causes the formation of the clot and the
eventual heart attack.

Studies have found that, at least in northern regions, heart attacks may occur more often in the winter months.

Heart attacks do not usually happen during exercise, although exercise is commonly associated with exertional angina.

Approximately
one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain. In
diabetics, the incidence of “silent” heart attacks may be much higher.

Typical Symptoms

The typical symptoms of a heart attack are similar to those of angina, but more severe and longer lasting.
The victim feels a pain that is usually squeezing or burning or feels a terrible pressure in the middle of
chest. This pain may also travel up to the neck, jaw, or shoulder or down the arm and into
the back.

Sweating,
dizziness, weakness, and shortness of breath often accompany the pain
of a heart attack. If you have chest pain that lasts longer than 15
minutes and is not relieved by rest (or by a dose of nitroglycerin),
get immediate medical attention.

In
some cases, a heart attack may cause a sensation that feels like
indigestion: you get a sick, aching feeling high in the middle of your
abdomen. It can cause a feeling of great weakness, or a sense that you
are about to faint. (Many of the people who had heart attacks thought
that they had intestinal problem instead of associating it with a heart
attack.)

Silent Heart Attack

Heart
attacks can occur without any warning symptoms. These are called silent
heart attacks. Some heart attacks may be associated with “atypical’
symptoms, symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, or sudden
light-headedness and sweating. These are more common in women,
diabetics, and people older than 65.

The
primary symptom of heart attack is a consistent deep, often severe,
pain in the chest that can spread to the left arm, neck, jaw, or the
area between the shoulder blades. The pain may be present for up to
twelve hours.

Many
people who have had heart attacks describe it as a heavy, substernal
pressure that makes it feel as if the chest is being squeezed. Other
symptoms may include shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and
vomiting. Heart attack can also cause abnormal heartbeat rhythms called
arrhythmias.

Article Courtesy of http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Heart/heart_attack_identifying.htm