Heart Attack Warning Signs

If you have any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1

The longer you wait to seek medical attention, the greater your risk for permanent heart damage or even death.

No one understands this better than the skilled physicians and nurses at Saint Agnes Medical Center − the only Fresno area hospital rated 5 Stars for Treatment of Heart Attack and one of only four hospitals in California named Mentor Hospital for consistently exceeding national standards in the treatment of hear attack patients.

Every second counts when you're having a heart attack. Below is a list of the "classic" warning signs of a heart attack, along with other less common signs that women often experience. Not all symptoms will occur in every heart attack, so it's important to know all of them.

"Classic" heart attack warning signs:

• Uncomfortable pressure,  fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
• Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath. 

"Less common" warning signs often experienced by women

• Unusual abdominal, chest or stomach pain
• Nausea or dizziness (without chest pain)
• Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing (without chest pain)
• Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
• Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness

For more information about heart attack warning signs, symptoms, heart failure and more, click here.