Heart attack

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Acute MI

Post myocardial infarction ECG wave tracings

Progressive build-up of plaque in coronary artery

Posterior heart arteries

Anterior heart arteries

Heart attack symptoms

Heart attack

Alternative Names:

Myocardial infarction; MI; Acute MI
Symptoms:

Chest pain behind the sternum (breastbone) is a major symptom of heart attack, but in many cases the pain may be subtle or even completely absent (called a "silent heart attack"), especially in the elderly and those with diabetes. Often, the pain radiates from your chest to your arms or shoulder; neck, teeth, or jaw; abdomen or back. Sometimes, the pain is only felt in one these other locations.

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The pain typically lasts longer than 20 minutes and isnot fully relieved by rest or nitroglycerine, both of which can relieve pain from angina.

The pain can be intense and severe or quite subtle and confusing. It can feel like:

squeezing or heavy pressure
a tight band on the chest
"an elephant sitting on [your] chest"
bad indigestion

Other symptoms you may have either alone or along with chest pain include:

Shortness of breath
Cough
Lightheadedness - dizziness
Fainting
Nausea or vomiting
Sweating, which may be profuse
Feeling of "impending doom"
Anxiety

Signs and tests:

During a physical examination, the doctor will usually note a rapid pulse. Blood pressure may be normal, high, or low. While listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the doctor may hear crackles in the lungs, a heart murmur, or other abnormal sounds.

The following tests may reveal a heart attack and the extent of heart damage: