Duration of the symptoms of a heart attack | Symptoms of a heart attack

Duration of the symptoms of a heart attack

A heart attack is usually preceded by the first signs, which are not perceived as such. Harbingers of a heart attack are, for example, unspecific stomach aches, nausea or dizziness. These symptoms can occur many weeks before the actual heart attack, but are often misjudged.

It is typical for a heart attack that the symptoms and especially the pain symptoms last longer than a normal angina pectoris attack. Angina pectoris describes an unpleasant feeling in the chest, a constricting and oppressive chest pain or even a “pain of destruction”. Particularly during physical exertion, the tightness in the chest is an alarm signal from the body that the blood flow in the coronary arteries is disturbed.

Typically, an attack of angina pectoris lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. If the attacks occur more frequently, become more intense or the chest pain lasts longer (15 to over 30 minutes), this is suspected to be a heart attack. As a general rule, as soon as severe chest pain lasts longer than five minutes, the emergency doctor should be called immediately. In case of doubt, a heart attack should always be ruled out, but under no circumstances should you transport the person affected to the hospital yourself or let him/her drive on his/her own.

Prognosis for a heart attack

It is important to take symptoms that indicate a heart attack seriously and have them checked by a doctor. The time between the onset of the acute myocardial infarction and medical treatment, i.e. until the affected coronary vessel reopens, plays an important role in the course and prognosis after a heart attack. The survival of a myocardial infarction is significantly influenced by two severe complications: the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmia (especially ventricular fibrillation) and the occurrence of pump failure or cardiogenic shock.

After a myocardial infarction, the long-term prognosis is rather unfavorable if a cardiac insufficiency develops. The long-term physical resilience after a survived heart attack also depends on the extent of the damage to the heart muscle and the future development of coronary heart disease. It is also crucial how successfully the risk factors for another heart attack (e.g.

high blood pressure, high blood lipid levels, diabetes mellitus) are treated and how consistently a healthy lifestyle is followed (e.g. do not smoke, reduce overweight, exercise, stress reduction). This is the only way to achieve a normal life expectancy and good age-appropriate performance in the further course of the treatment.Within the first two years after an acute heart attack, about 5 to 10 percent of those affected die of sudden cardiac death. The risk increases with age, with the death rate among those over 75 years old being more than three times as high. After one year, about 80 percent of those affected who survive the first day after a heart attack are still alive.