The heart works continuously, day and night, pumping blood and delivering oxygen to every part of the body. Because it performs such an essential job, changes in the way you feel can sometimes provide important clues that something is wrong.
However, a viral headline such as “7 signs that indicate your heart is in serious danger” can be misleading. Having one of these symptoms does not automatically mean that your heart is failing or that you are about to have a heart attack. Many symptoms can have several different causes.
What matters is recognizing symptoms that deserve medical attention, especially when they are new, severe, persistent, or appear together.
Some warning signs can indicate reduced blood flow to the heart. Others may occur when the heart is having difficulty pumping efficiently or when fluid begins accumulating in the body.
Here are seven important symptoms to know.
- Chest Pressure, Tightness,
or Discomfort
Chest discomfort is one of the most important symptoms to recognize.
People often imagine that a heart attack always produces an intense, crushing pain. In reality, the sensation can be different from person to person.
It may feel like:
Pressure
Tightness
Squeezing
Fullness
Burning
Heaviness
Aching
Uncomfortable pressure in the center of the chest
The sensation may last several minutes or disappear and return.
Some people describe it as feeling as though something heavy is sitting on their chest.
Others may experience relatively mild discomfort.
This is why it is dangerous to dismiss chest symptoms simply because they are not extremely painful.
Where Can Heart-Related Discomfort Spread?
Heart-related discomfort can sometimes extend beyond the chest.
It may be felt in:
One or both arms
The shoulder
Back
Neck
Jaw
Upper abdomen
The symptoms do not have to occur in every location.
A person may experience chest pressure alone,
or chest discomfort together with pain in another part of the upper body.
When Chest Symptoms Are an Emergency
If new or unexplained chest pressure or discomfort occurs, particularly when accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, back, or neck, emergency medical evaluation is important.
