With the mounting stress and strain, the number of victims falling prey to heart attack is increasing. It is always said that the initial one hour is the most crucial hour for these patients. If one can diagnose the attack during this time, he has very good prognosis in terms of safety of his life. Therefore it is necessary to comprehend the early symptoms of heart attack that may enable you to seek adequate medical attention for the patient in time:

(1) More than pain, most patients describe a feeling of weight on chest during early period of heart attack.

(2) The pain is more of strangulating nature in which patient experiences heavy and suffocating feeling in chest.

(3) The symptoms are far more severe than mere esophagitis, pleurisy or indigestion.

(4) The pain is usually located just below the sternum or breast bone and rarely on left side of chest. However the pain may also be there in left shoulder blade and down the arm in many cases. Even chin pain is reported in many cases.

(5) If the patient is a known case of angina (case of pain in chest on exertion), usually he takes a tablet of nitroglycerine under his tongue to subdue the pain. If it is angina, it will go off within 15-20 minutes. But if the person is having a heart attack, the pain will not subdue but increase in intensity.

(6) There may be associated dizziness.

(7) The person usually has undue sweating along with the fullness of chest.

(8) Remember if the patient is a diabetic, he may not experience pain during heart attack. It is called silent heart attack in such cases. You must keep watch on his sweating, chest discomfort and seek immediate medical intervention.

(9) Heart attacks are rightly associated with chilly winters, emotionally stressed environments, and heavy exercise.

It is true that earlier you seek medical intervention; the patient has high chances of survival. Now with the advanced tests and investigation facilities, most patients respond positively within short period of time. Education of those around the probable patient of heart attack is the crux of having better prognosis!