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In a previous blog we went over the differences between cardiac arrest and heart attacks. Many people confuse these two terms, and it is important to understand the difference for recognition, care and treatment. Cardiac arrest is when the heart is no longer beating or able to sustain life and heart attacks indicate damage to the heart. Today, we will specifically look at heart attacks and their common signs and symptoms.
Recognizing and caring for cardiac (heart) issues can be challenging and a bit tricky for anyone. Though there are a lot of generalities and commonalities among those who suffer a heart attack, the difficult thing that many people don’t realize is that when it comes to heart damage and emergency events, some people may have one, several or none of these common signs and symptoms. It is always best to use common sense and good judgement, using your experience and training to rule out and help identify possible issues keeping in mind that cardiac events may present differently in everyone.
One of the more common general differences for heart attack signs and symptoms is the different presentation between males and females. If someone asked you to name common heart attack symptoms, what would you say? The first that often comes to mind would probably be sudden chest pressure, sever sweating, left arm pain and possibly a loss of consciousness. And that’s not wrong, in fact that is generally correct – if you’re talking about common symptoms in men. When it comes to women however, heart attack symptoms often present differently, and they’re often much less obvious. When men suffer a heart attack, it’s often caused by significant plaque buildup over time and a resulting blood clot. Therefore, symptoms are more likely to be sudden and severe, like those you may see on TV shows and in movies with ‘crushing’ chest pain.
In women, however, heart attacks are more often caused by plaque erosion – when smaller pieces of plaque partially block arteries. Because this is a more subtle stop of blood flow, symptoms are less severe and recognizable.
Half of women don’t experience any chest pain, and many of their common symptoms mimic other issues, making recognition difficult which can delay care. This is why it’s important for women, and everyone, to understand their risk factors, watch for symptoms, and always advocate for their own health. The more general common signs and symptoms that present in women suffering a heart attack include: Sudden or extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, heartburn, dizziness, pain in the back, neck or jaw and a general ill feeling or pressure/pain. As you can see, many of the symptoms, especially if presented alone, may not have you thinking heart attack right away, you may think the patient is simply sick, feeling ill, ate some bad food or a myriad of other options as the pain and other signals are different than what we think of in men. It is important to know that these are the common symptoms for many women and not to delay care.
If you or anyone you come across experience any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact a medical professional. Be sure to take a CPR/AED/First Aid class and keep up on your skills so that you are prepared to help in case of any emergency.
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Tim Smith is an EMT and a former full-time Twin Cities Fire Captain who founded HeartCert in 2010 with his wife Christina, a Registered Nurse and former Paramedic. Tim and Christina have a true love for helping others and are passionate about education and enhancing the community, so starting a CPR training company was a perfect fit for them. Tim started out doing 1 on 1 CPR and First Aid certification classes in his living room before expanding into multiple locations throughout the state of Minnesota and adding 20+ very skilled, highly trained, healthcare professionals who share in his love for bettering their community and fun teaching style. HeartCert continues to grow as a local, family owned business. Tim’s mission is to support that of the American Heart Association and American Red Cross which strives to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. To better achieve this mission HeartCert has expanded outside of the Twin Cities Minnesota Metro area and now offers courses in multiple regions and states.
More articles by the writer
In a previous blog we went over the differences between cardiac arrest and heart attacks. Many people confuse these two terms, and it is important to understand the difference for recognition, care and treatment. Cardiac arrest is when the heart is no longer beating or able to sustain life and heart attacks indicate damage to the heart. Today, we will specifically look at heart attacks and their common signs and symptoms.
Recognizing and caring for cardiac (heart) issues can be challenging and a bit tricky for anyone. Though there are a lot of generalities and commonalities among those who suffer a heart attack, the difficult thing that many people don’t realize is that when it comes to heart damage and emergency events, some people may have one, several or none of these common signs and symptoms. It is always best to use common sense and good judgement, using your experience and training to rule out and help identify possible issues keeping in mind that cardiac events may present differently in everyone.
One of the more common general differences for heart attack signs and symptoms is the different presentation between males and females. If someone asked you to name common heart attack symptoms, what would you say? The first that often comes to mind would probably be sudden chest pressure, sever sweating, left arm pain and possibly a loss of consciousness. And that’s not wrong, in fact that is generally correct – if you’re talking about common symptoms in men. When it comes to women however, heart attack symptoms often present differently, and they’re often much less obvious. When men suffer a heart attack, it’s often caused by significant plaque buildup over time and a resulting blood clot. Therefore, symptoms are more likely to be sudden and severe, like those you may see on TV shows and in movies with ‘crushing’ chest pain.
In women, however, heart attacks are more often caused by plaque erosion – when smaller pieces of plaque partially block arteries. Because this is a more subtle stop of blood flow, symptoms are less severe and recognizable.
Half of women don’t experience any chest pain, and many of their common symptoms mimic other issues, making recognition difficult which can delay care. This is why it’s important for women, and everyone, to understand their risk factors, watch for symptoms, and always advocate for their own health. The more general common signs and symptoms that present in women suffering a heart attack include: Sudden or extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, heartburn, dizziness, pain in the back, neck or jaw and a general ill feeling or pressure/pain. As you can see, many of the symptoms, especially if presented alone, may not have you thinking heart attack right away, you may think the patient is simply sick, feeling ill, ate some bad food or a myriad of other options as the pain and other signals are different than what we think of in men. It is important to know that these are the common symptoms for many women and not to delay care.
If you or anyone you come across experience any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact a medical professional. Be sure to take a CPR/AED/First Aid class and keep up on your skills so that you are prepared to help in case of any emergency.
Vlad Magdalin
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