Heart attacks seem to be sudden, but that's not the truth. Signs and symptoms of a heart attack need to be recognized. These help in quick medical attention, as well as saving lives.

A common sign of an impending heart attack is discomfort or slight pain. The discomfort occurs mostly in the chest area. It is mild to start with and recurs at long intervals. The feeling of discomfort can be a sense of pressure, dizziness, squeezing of the chest and so on. Often this discomfort radiates to other parts of the upper body, like the arms, neck, and back. This discomfort is typically combined with breathlessness or difficulty breathing. Other symptoms of a heart attack are headache, dizziness, nausea and excessive sweating.

On the other hand, there are forms of heart attacks that are silent. These project no symptoms whatsoever. These happen to be even more dangerous and life-threatening than painful heart attacks. It is common among diabetics to suffer from silent heart attacks.

Sometimes, these symptoms are mistaken and ignored as indigestion, heartburn, stress and so on. In the best interests of health, it is better to pay attention to any such feeling and consult doctors.

Symptoms are different in each instance of a heart attack. However, the common symptoms, if paid attention to, will save many a life through early diagnosis and treatment.

Annually, approximately 1 million people in the United States suffer a heart attack. It is noteworthy that more than half of these people die within an hour of the onset of symptoms. Hence, the timely recognition of signs and emergency hospitalization is necessary.