Heart attack symptoms in a man are now fairly well known. A man is likely to experience sudden, intense chest pain that can last for hours. He may also feel pain in the left arm or jaw and have difficulty breathing. These symptoms are obvious to an emergency room staff and immediate action is taken to bring a halt to the advance of heart damage.

While a women may have some of the same symptoms, in many cases her symptoms won't fit the traditional heart attack profile. Her pain may be more diffuse, spreading to the shoulders, neck, arms, abdomen and even her back. The pain my come and go or even feel more like a simple heaviness or burning sensation in the chest rather than the red-alert chest pain known to signal a heart attack.

More often than not, her primary symptoms may not be chest pain at all but an unexplained anxiety, nausea, dizziness, palpitations and cold sweat.

A women arriving at the hospital with these symptoms will often lose precious time while the medical staff test for other conditions or, worse yet, keep her sitting in the waiting room. Women also tend to have more severe first heart attacks and they more frequently lead to death, compared to men.

Heart attack symptoms can very. Some people may have one, many or no common symptoms at all.

In both men and women, the major symptom of a heart attack is chest pain just below the breastbone. People sometimes describe this pain as similar to indigestion or a feeling of squeezing, heavy pressure, an elephant sitting on their chest or a tight band around their chest. Pain is not always limited to this area. Other areas where pain may occur include the back, stomach, arms, shoulders, neck, teeth or jaw. Pain lasting longer than 20 minutes or pain that is similar to heartburn that doesn't go away may also be caused by a heart attack.

Other symptoms of a heart attack are shortness of breath, coughing, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dry mouth, anxiety and a feeling of impending doom.

Women often experience these symptoms differently than men. The symptoms can be less pronounced, like chest pain, or more common, like shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain. Some women also report feeling extremely tired when they have a heart attack. Because chest pain is less common in women, they often ignore their symptoms and delay seeking immediate treatment.

If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Don't wait to see if the symptoms disappear. Taking quick action can save your life.