Heart Attacks: What are the symptoms?
My father died of a heart attack at the age of 50 and as I approach middle age, I’m concerned about my health. What symptoms should I look for and when should I seek medical help for them?
As you’ve suspected, heredity does play a role in increasing your risk for heart attacks, which occur when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked for a long enough time that heart muscle becomes damaged or dies. Men over 45 and women over 55 with a family history of heart attacks should be under the care of an internist and/or a specialist in cardiology to regularly monitor their heart health. In addition to family history, other risk factors for heart disease and heart attacks include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, cigarette smoking and stress.
It is also crucial to be aware of the symptoms of a heart attack so that you can seek treatment immediately if you suspect that you may be experiencing one. Some heart attacks are sudden and unmistakable — the kind portrayed in the movies when an actor clutches his chest as he falls to the ground. However, most begin slowly. Initial symptoms include discomfort at the center of the chest, which may last for more than a few minutes, or may disappear and return several times. The discomfort in the chest may feel like uncomfortable pressure, fullness, pain or squeezing. Other symptoms may include pain in one or both arms, the neck, jaw, back or stomach. Shortness of breath may precede or accompany chest discomfort. Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness may also be indications of a heart attack.