What could be some early signs (symptoms) that someone is heading for a heart attack?

Answer 1

The following were the major findings, at least 24 to 48 hours before an actual myocardial infarction took place, reporting in ER, the ECG and cardiac enzymes were negative but they ended in CCU:
Chest pain off and on.
Shortness of breath.
Exertional angina relieved after sitting or lying down
Patient will be irritable.
Depressed/ depressive appearance
Mild yellowish tinge of face.
Smoker.
Family history.
The above show something is churning up, so admit such patient under observation on ACS protocol.
I tell you experience is the Key Word.

Answer 2

Heart attack symptoms vary widely but often include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, or anxiety. See how women's symptoms may be different from men's symptoms.
Heart attack symptoms vary widely. The symptoms you experience may be different from those experienced by a relative or neighbor. For instance, you may have only minor chest pain while someone else has excruciating pain. In addition, women often have different heart attack symptoms than do men.

One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't waste time trying to diagnose the symptoms yourself.

This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go
Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort
Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn
You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort.
You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason
You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit

Answer 3

Be very cautious about generic symptoms: Shortness of breath, pain in the left arm, cool clammy skin, ashen skin color just to name a few. These are all legitimate symptoms, but heart attack pain can come in many ways.
I suffered a heart attack in November 2005. I awoke to a severe heart burn. I was hot and had a pain in my left shoulder blade. Each one of these symptoms i dismissed because they weren't the classic symptoms so i thought i was just having heart burn. I had been doing some push ups to try and get in shape so i attributed the pain in my shoulder blade as a result. My skin was dry and i was hot. Probably from the heart burn. Took some anti acid tablets went out on the patio to cool off and i felt fine. About an hour later the symptoms were back. Same routine. 6:45 am that morning while driving to work i began to suffer shortness of breath, i had sweat drops the size of quarters rolling off my fore head. I new then i was in trouble. I passed out, hit a telephone pole, had air bag deployment oh yea did i mention i had a heart attack. My left mid anterior descending artery was 100% blocked. I'm lucky to be alive today. My stubbornness and denial almost cost me my life. Click on the site and read my story. Now that was a crazy day!! When in doubt go and go quickly to the ER. Better yet call 911 http://www.mydjconnection.com/articles/2005/11/16/community/news2.txt

Answer 4

Heart attack symptoms vary widely but often include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, or anxiety. See how women's symptoms may be different from men's symptoms.
Heart attack symptoms vary widely. The symptoms you experience may be different from those experienced by a relative or neighbor. For instance, you may have only minor chest pain while someone else has excruciating pain. In addition, women often have different heart attack symptoms than do men.

One thing applies to everyone, though: If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't waste time trying to diagnose the symptoms yourself.

This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go
Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort
Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn
You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort.
You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you're having a panic attack for no apparent reason
You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.
You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit

Answer 5

A heart attack is an injury to the heart muscle caused by a loss of blood supply. It usually occurs when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery — a blood vessel that feeds blood to a part of the heart muscle. Interrupted blood flow to your heart can damage or destroy a part of the heart muscle.

Signs and symptoms

Heart attacks have many variable signs and symptoms. Not all people who have heart attacks experience the same ones or experience them to the same degree. Many heart attacks aren't as dramatic as the ones you've seen on TV or in the movies.

For example, heart attack symptoms in women, in older adults and in people with diabetes tend to be less pronounced. Some people have no symptoms at all. Still, the more signs and symptoms you have, the greater the likelihood that you may be having a heart attack.

Warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack include:

* Pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes
* Pain extending beyond your chest to your shoulder, arm, back, or even to your teeth and jaw
* Increasing episodes of chest pain
* Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen
* Shortness of breath
* Sweating
* Impending sense of doom
* Lightheadedness
* Fainting
* Nausea and vomiting

A heart attack can occur anytime — at work or play, while you're resting, or while you're in motion. Some heart attacks strike suddenly, but many people who experience a heart attack have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest predictor of an attack may be recurrent chest pain (angina) that's triggered by exertion and relieved by rest. Angina is caused by temporary, insufficient blood flow to the heart. The medical term for insufficient blood flow to the heart is "cardiac ischemia."-

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Answer 6

The most common symptom of a heart attack, heart attack victims may experience a diversity of symptoms that include: pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest; jaw pain, toothache, headache; shortness of breath; nausea, vomiting, and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort; sweating; heartburn and/or indigestion; arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm); upper back pain; general malaise (vague feeling of illness); and no symptoms (approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms and silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus).

Answer 7

Shortness of breath, chest pain of any kind. The big risk factors for heart attack are overweight, smoking and family history, the older you are the more likley you are to have a heart attack.

Answer 8

copy and paste has given a very good comprehensive account of the answer to your question. Can I just add if you think you or anyone else is having one get an ambulance as quick as you can.

Answer 9

may get small heart attacks, and people may mistake it a gas or something. but i heard taking an asprin a day can help.

Answer 10

I've heard shortness of breath, pain in left arm/shoulder, sweating