Heart attack symptoms vary and are easily confused with other ailments such as heartburn or muscle aches. In women, the symptoms can be particularly hard to recognize. Experts say that if you have heart disease you should have a heart attack plan.
Common heart attack symptoms: Chest pain that feels like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or fullness; pain that spreads to the neck and jaw, the back, the left arm, or stomach; shortness of breath, with or without chest pain; nausea; cold sweat, and lightheadedness.
Where to go: The nearest hospital, and preferably one with an emergency room and a catheterization laboratory.
How to get there: Call 911 and say, "I think I'm having a heart attack." Do not drive yourself - you might die on the way. Avoid asking someone else to drive you - it's a potentially dangerous delay in getting treatment.
Whom to tell: Tell your family, friends and neighbors that you are at risk for heart attack. Make sure they know to call 911. You might be unconscious.
MORE INFORMATION:
•American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org
•National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, www.nhlbi.nih.gov
•University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Chest Pain Center, www.tinyurl.com/63e2fe, or call the center's chest pain hot line, 1-800-874-3278.
Sources: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Library of Medicine; Abbott Northwestern Hospital.