ACS Q&A – Dr. Osman: What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Attack?

One of the questions I get asked most often is about the symptoms of a heart attack.

The classic description of a heart attack (as you might read in a textbook) is chest pain. However, it’s not always experienced as pain. Sometimes it feels more like chest pressure or a sensation of heaviness in the chest. These are the more typical symptoms seen in men.

Women can present differently. Many women experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, unusual tiredness or fatigue. All of these symptoms can be signs of a heart attack and should not be ignored.