Too many Americans don’t know the common warning signs of a heart attack, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed. Recognizing a heart attack in progress is the first step in getting early treatment, which is crucial to surviving the attack.

Nearly 1,300 people from across the United States responded by phone to two questions: What are the signs or symptoms of a heart attack, and what is the most important symptom? A majority — 57 percent — correctly listed chest pain as the most important symptom. But few said pressure, tightness, or heaviness in the chest could also indicate a heart attack.
And on average, people mentioned only three of 11 signs or symptoms (see chart). Two-thirds said arm pain or numbness was a symptom, half noted shortness of breath and fewer than a quarter mentioned any of the other eight common symptoms.
More worrisome still, some people with heart disease risk factors knew as little as people without risk factors. Those risk factors are age over 45 for men, age over 55 for women, diabetes, high cholesterol or blood pressure, family history of heart disease, physical inactivity and obesity. Although people aged 35 to 54 knew more than younger people, those older than 54 knew the least.
The study’s authors say that people may picture a heart attack as a severely disabling pain rather than the more subtle discomfort that often occurs. If you have heart disease or one of its risk factors, it’s worth reviewing the signs of a heart attack and planning with your doctor what to do if you have one. People without any known risk factors should also learn the warning signs, he adds, because as many as half of all heart attacks happen in people who don’t know they have heart disease.