Chest symptoms related to a heart problem

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Chest symptoms related to a heart problem

Symptoms in your chest may occur because of a heart problem. Symptoms of a heart attack or angina include:

• Chest pain or discomfort. See an illustration of areas affected by chest pain .
• Pressure, heaviness, or tightness in the chest, upper abdomen, or jaw.
• Pain or numbness of the shoulders or arms, especially on the left side.
• Pain in the upper back or neck.
• Shortness of breath.
• Sweating.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Sudden, severe tiredness or exhaustion.

If you have any of these symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 or other emergency services immediately.. Since most of the damage to the heart muscle during a heart attack occurs in the first 6 hours, emergency treatment may prevent damage to the heart muscle and death. Some people, especially those who are elderly or have diabetes, may not have typical chest pain but may have many of the other symptoms of a heart attack.

Chest discomfort or pain that comes on or gets worse with exercise, stress, or eating a large meal and goes away with rest may be a warning symptom of heart disease. If you have symptoms that may be related to you heart, call your doctor immediately, even if the pain or other symptoms have gone away.

Credits

Last updated:	April 27, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer