Chest discomfort or pain is a key warning symptom of a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms include:

Chest discomfort or pain that is crushing or squeezing or feels like a heavy weight on the chest. Chest discomfort or pain that occurs with:

		Sweating
		Shortness of breath
		Nausea or vomiting
		Pain that spreads from the chest to the back, neck or jaw or one or both shoulders or arms
		Dizziness or lightheadedness
		A fast or irregular heartbeat

If you have any of these symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 or other emergency services immediately. Emergency treatment may prevent damage to the heart muscle and death.

Chest discomfort or pain that comes on or gets worse with exercise, stress, or eating a large meal and goes away with rest may be a warning sign of heart disease. This type of pain may be a heart attack or angina. If you are having this type of discomfort or pain now and you are not being treated for angina, call 911 or other emergency services immediately.

Most people fear that chest pain always means something is wrong with the heart. Fortunately, this is not the case. Chest discomfort or pain has many other causes.

The cause of chest discomfort or pain can be hard to determine. The more you know about your symptoms, the easier it will be for you to decide what you need to do next. Here are some things to think about when you or someone you know has chest pain.

Information provided by LaurusHealth