Not everyone who has a heart attack has bad chest pain. Some people have mild pain at first. Some have no pain at all. If you don't have pain, it's not easy to tell if you're having a heart attack. You might not know you need medical help. Up to one-quarter of all people who have a heart attack don't realize they've had one.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Panju AP, Hemmelgarn BR, Guyatt GH, et al.
Is this patient having a myocardial infarction?
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 1256-1263.

 

 

 

 

 

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There are other warning signs, such as having mild pain in your chest, arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach. If you know about these it can help you decide if you're having a heart attack. It's worth learning about these symptoms, especially if you've already had a heart attack or if your doctor has told you you're at risk of having one.

Below you'll find a list of the most common symptoms of a heart attack. You can click on the links to find out more.

Once you get to the hospital, tests can tell doctors whether you're having a heart attack. If you are, they'll probably do more tests later to find out what type of heart attack you've had. To learn more, see Tests for a heart attack.

You can also learn How to tell the difference between a heart attack and other pain.

Many people make a full recovery after a heart attack. But some people continue to have health problems. These may include:

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