Different Symptoms for Heart Attack

Atypical symptoms demand attention

Women's symptoms of heart attack are frequently different from men's. Therefore, physicians often don’t recognize them, dismiss them or attribute them to other causes. Women tend to dismiss their symptoms as signs of getting older, menopause, stress or simply being too busy.

For both men and women, the most common symptoms of heart attack are:

  • Pain in the chest and arm
  • Shortness of breath
  • Tightness or squeezing sensation in the chest

Women commonly have these atypical symptoms:

  • A cold sweat and/or rapid heartbeat
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or constant indigestion
  • Pressure between the shoulder blades
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Unexplained anxiety, weakness or extreme fatigue

Not all of these signs occur in every heart attack. Sometimes they go away and return. If you experience some of these, call 911!