Chest Pain That May Radiate

Chest pain is the most common and classic sign of a heart attack. It is often poorly localized, but is classically in the area behind the breastbone and associated with a pressure like sensation. The pain may radiate to the neck and jaw and the arms, the left arm most classically with a squeezing like sensation. These symptoms are known as angina. In stable angina these symptoms will often occur with exertion or emotional distress and go away with rest. If the symptoms last more than a few minutes then the diagnosis is certainly not considered stable angina and help should be sought.

Sweating

The medical term for sweating here is diaphoresis, a well-known sign of a heart attack. This occurs due to activation of a defense mechanism known as the sympathetic nervous system, a kind of fight or flight response. The sweating may occur with or without chest pain, and may occur with other non-chest pain symptoms in a heart attack such as arm pain, jaw pain, shortness of breath and such.

Shortness of Breath

In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, or on its own, shortness of breath is well recognized when it comes to signs of a heart attack. This occurs as a manifestation of heart failure caused by heart muscle dysfunction from the heart attack.

Shock

The shock referred to here is the process by where the body is unable to compensate for the affects of the heart attack such as heart failure. This generally means the output of the heart is insufficient in terms of what the body needs. Associated symptoms may be light headed and dizziness, a cool and clammy appearance, fast heart rate and low blood pressure. Shock in general would be associated with a pretty large heart attack.