• Centers and Departments
• Back to Cardiovascular Medicine
• Diseases and Conditions
• Angina
• Arrhythmias
• Cancer-Related Heart Disease
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Diabetic Heart Disease
• Familial Heart Diseases
• Heart Attack
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • Risk Factors
  • Causes
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatments
  • Physicians and Services
• Heart Failure
• Pericardial Disease or Pericarditis
• Peripheral Artery Disease
• Stroke
• Valve Disease
• Women's Cardiovascular Disease

Signs and Symptoms

Sudden, Intense, Crushing Chest Pain

Some heart attacks are obvious - sudden, intense, crushing chest pain. But many are not so obvious. These may come with less intense symptoms:

Less Intense Symptoms

Chest Discomfort

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes, or that goes away and returns. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

Upper Body Discomfort

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. This can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Shortness of Breath

This may occur with or without chest discomfort.

Other signs

These may include:

• Sweating
  
• Nausea
  
• Vomiting
  
• Palpitations
  
• Fatigue
  
• Lightheadedness