| Five Top FAQs About Heart Attacks If you were ever a Scout, you're familiar with the motto "Be prepared." This motto holds especially true when it comes to your heart health. In celebration of American Heart Month, take a few minutes to become familiar with heart attack basics. While you may not be rewarded with a merit badge, you might just save someone's life. What is a heart attack? A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn't restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die. Heart attacks occur most often as a result of coronary artery disease in which a fatty material known as plaque builds up over many years on the inside walls of the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to your heart). Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery.
Watch a video of how a heart attack happens. What are the symptoms of a heart attack? Not all heart attacks begin with a sudden, crushing pain that is often shown on TV or in the movies. The symptoms of a heart attack aren't the same for everyone. Many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. Some people don't have symptoms at all (this is called a silent heart attack). - The most common symptom of heart attack in men and women is chest pain or discomfort. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. It can be mild or severe. Heart attack pain can sometimes feel like indigestion or heartburn. Shortness of breath may often occur with or before chest discomfort.
- Heart attacks also can cause upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the jaw, or the stomach. Other symptoms of heart attack are lightheadedness and fainting, or breaking out into a cold sweat.
- Women are more likely than men to have symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and pain in the back, shoulders, and jaw.
What should I do if I think I'm having a heart attack? If you have any heart attack symptoms or think you are having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately for emergency medical care. Early treatment can prevent or limit damage to your heart muscle. If you think you're having a heart attack, don't drive yourself or have friends/family drive you to the hospital. Call 9-1-1 immediately so that emergency medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital. How is a heart attack treated? Early treatment can prevent or limit damage to the heart muscle. Acting fast, at the first symptoms of heart attack, can save your life. Emergency medical personnel can begin diagnosis and treatment even before you get to the hospital. Certain treatments are usually started right away if a heart attack is suspected, even before the diagnosis is confirmed. These include oxygen, aspirin to prevent further blood clotting, nitroglycerin to reduce the workload on the heart and improve blood flow through the coronary arteries, and treatment for chest pain. Once the diagnosis of heart attack is confirmed or strongly suspected, treatments to try to restore blood flow to the heart are started as soon as possible. Treatments include medicines and medical procedures.
Learn more about how heart attacks are treated. What is it like to have a heart attack? The warning signs of a heart attack aren't the same for everyone. In ‘Stories From The Heart' featured on The Heart Truth® Web site, women share their experiences of how heart disease has changed their lives and outlooks. Here are the stories that sisters Joan and Bonnie (ages 52 and 49) shared: Joan: "Five years ago, I was driving with my sister when I began having shoulder pain. She had experienced a heart attack two weeks earlier, so she drove straight to the hospital. Sure enough, I was having a heart attack. My doctor tells me that if I have another I might not make it through, because the first one damaged my heart. I had no choice but to change everything in my life. I quit smoking, I exercise, and I eat healthy now. Until I had a heart attack myself, I thought heart attacks were for old men." Bonnie: "I had a heart attack at the age of 44. I thought I was having indigestion, but when my sister saw the blood drain from my face, she called 9-1-1. I remember thinking, 'Why's she calling 9-1-1? I'm going to take an antacid and it's going to go away.' Two weeks later, she also had a heart attack. Now our whole family eats healthier and works out together, since we have this family history."
Read more stories from the heart. Resources - Explore the Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs brochure
- Learn how your heart works
- Read more about heart attacks (en español)
- Explore The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women
- Watch the Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs video
- Follow The Heart Truth® on Twitter at @thehearttruth.
®The Heart Truth is a registered trademark of HHS.
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