Miranda,

Thanks for your question.

I am unable to tell you with any certainty whether your mother is having a heart attack or not.  Chest tightness is a symptom of heart disease and your mother does have two major risk factors for heart disease - diabetes and high blood pressure.  Any patient with chest discomfort should be evaluated by a physician, especially if there are risk factors present.  Other risk factors include a family history of heart disease, smoking, excessive weight, elevated cholesterol, and smoking.

I suggest you contact her physician to let him/her know about the situation.  Arrangements should be made to be evaluated with a history, examination and electrocardiogram.  Depending on his impression, further testing may be requested. 

Should you mother be experiencing chest pressure that lasts more than 10 minutes, you should take her to the emergency room for an evaluation rather than waiting for an appointment. 

Also keep in mind that diabetics and females can have more varied symptoms than males and non- diabetics, which makes it a bit more challenging sometimes to establish a diagnosis. 

Best wishes.

Martin Cane, M.D.