Heart Attack Symptoms and Facts

 

Heart disease, including STEMI (a specific type of heart attack), is the leading cause of death in Missouri. Specific therapies, administered to STEMI patients within a short time of symptom onset, have proven to reduce mortality and disability.

What is STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction)?

A STEMI is a type of heart attack, for which impaired blood flow to the patient’s heart muscle is shown by the ST-segment elevation, in ECG analysis. A STEMI is one type of heart attack that is a potentially lethal condition for which specific therapies, administered rapidly, reduce mortality and disability. The more time that passes before blood flow is restored, the more damage that is done to the heart muscle.

* Symptoms

  • Chest discomfort (pressure, squeezing or pain)
  • Upper body discomfort (arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
  • Anxiety or feeling of impending doom

Heart attack symptoms in women

Women are less likely to say they have pain in the center of the chest or discomfort that feels like indigestion. Heart attack symptoms that women experience can often be those listed above but may also include:

  • Insomnia, fatigue or shortness of breath that started in advance of the heart attack.
  • Pain that spreads (or radiates) to their back, shoulders, jaw, neck, arms or belly.
  • Nausea and vomiting.

Who is affected by STEMIs?

Several risk factors increase the chances of having a heart attack. You can change some of those factors, but not others.

Factors you can change

You can manage or modify lifestyle factors. These include:

  • Tobacco use and smoking.
  • Diet, including your intake of sodium (blood pressure), sugar (diabetes) or fat (cholesterol).
  • Your level of physical activity.
  • Alcohol use.
  • Drug use (especially stimulants like amphetamines, cocaine or any other medications that affect your heart).

Factors you can't change

These factors include:

  • Age. Your risk of heart attack goes up as you get older.
  • Sex. Men's heart attack risk starts going up at age 45. Women's heart attack risk increases at age 50 or after menopause (whichever comes first).
  • Family history. If you have a parent or sibling who had a heart attack at your age or younger, your risk goes up significantly. It also includes if you had a father or brother diagnosed with heart disease before age 55 or a mother or sister diagnosed before age 65.
  • Genetic or congenital conditions. Certain medical conditions or disorders can increase your risk of a heart attack. If you inherited these conditions (genetic) or were born with them (congenital), they can’t be changed.

Minutes matter. Call 911.