Heart Attack: Symptoms, Causes, and What to Do Before Emergency Help Arrives

When your heart stops getting enough blood, it’s not just chest pain—it’s a heart attack, a life-threatening event caused by blocked blood flow to the heart muscle. Also known as a myocardial infarction, it doesn’t always feel like a movie scene. Sometimes it’s just pressure, fatigue, or nausea—especially in women and older adults. The truth is, half of all heart attacks happen without classic symptoms, and waiting too long can cost you your life.

What causes a heart attack? Mostly, it’s plaque buildup, fatty deposits in the arteries that rupture and trigger blood clots. But other factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and even chronic stress pile up over time. Some people think only older men are at risk, but younger people with poor diet, inactivity, or family history are increasingly affected. And it’s not just about the heart—the heart attack treatment, includes emergency interventions like angioplasty or clot-busting drugs that only work if given within the first hour.

You don’t need to be a doctor to recognize the warning signs. Tightness in the chest, pain spreading to the arm or jaw, sudden dizziness, cold sweat, or unexplained fatigue could be your body screaming for help. Women often report back pain, indigestion, or extreme tiredness instead of chest pain. If you or someone else shows even one of these signs, call 911 immediately—don’t drive yourself, don’t wait to see if it passes. Time is muscle, and every minute counts.

The posts below give you real, practical advice on what to do when symptoms hit, how medications like aspirin or nitroglycerin help in the moment, what tests doctors use to confirm a heart attack, and how to prevent another one. You’ll find clear guidance on managing risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, understanding the role of stents and bypass surgery, and avoiding common mistakes after recovery. No fluff. No guesswork. Just what you need to know to protect yourself or someone you love.