Key signs of heart attack you may not know

Published June 2025 | 7 min read
Expert contributor: Dr Christian Said, Interventional Cardiologist and Researcher, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
Words by Sabrina Rogers-Anderson

Did you know the signs of heart attack are different for men and women? Here’s how to recognise them and get timely help.

As 56-year-old Scott Kesteven sat at his breakfast table one morning, he couldn’t eat due to nausea and heartburn. He took a pill to relieve his indigestion, but the burning sensation progressed to the back of his left arm. Scott knew he was in trouble, so asked his wife to drive him to hospital. There, as doctors tried to open the blockage causing what turned out to be a heart attack, Scott had a cardiac arrest.

As a Senior Researcher at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Scott had analysed thousands of hearts over the course of his career. But as a fit, healthy non-smoker and non-drinker, with no family history of cardiovascular disease, he never imagined he’d have a heart attack.

Looking back, Scott sees that the warning signs appeared earlier in the year, when his usual cycling commute became difficult. “If you suffer unexpected shortness of breath on exertion, doing something you routinely do, see your GP – even if you have no family history or low cholesterol,” he says.

Scott’s story isn’t uncommon, with research showing about one-quarter of first-time heart-attack patients have no known risk factors. That’s why it’s so important to recognise the signs of heart attack and get timely help to reduce the risk of long-term consequences.

Why a heart attack is a medical emergency

“The heart pumps blood to all the organs in the body, including the brain,” says Dr Christian Said, Interventional Cardiologist and Researcher at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

“Any time one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked, the area of the heart that’s supplied by that artery starts to die, reducing the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively to the body’s vital organs. During a heart attack, our priority is to act quickly to restore blood flow through the blocked artery to minimise the injury and damage to the heart muscle.”

Risk factors for heart attack

Close to 2% of Australians will have a heart attack at some point in their lifetime.

These are some of the risk factors for heart attack that are beyond your control.

• Age: Your risk of heart attack increases the older you get.
• Sex: More than twice as many men experience heart attacks than women.
• Family history: If a close family member (like a parent or sibling) has had a heart attack or stroke before age 60, you have an increased risk of heart disease.
• Ethnic background: People from some ethnic backgrounds – including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori, Pacific Islander, South Asian and Middle Eastern descent – have a higher risk of heart disease.
• Social environment: People who live in low socio-economic areas are more likely to have a heart attack.

But there are also several lifestyle risk factors you can change or manage to lower your risk of heart attack, including:

• smoking
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• eating an unhealthy diet high in saturated fats, salt and sugar
• not getting enough physical activity
• being overweight or obese.

What are common heart attack symptoms?

Heart attack signs and symptoms vary from person to person and some people don’t have any symptoms at all. They may include:

• chest pain (pressure, tightness, heaviness, squeezing or crushing in the middle of your chest)
• pain in the shoulders, arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• feeling dizzy, lightheaded, faint or anxious
• shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, coughing or a choking sensation
• indigestion, nausea or vomiting
• sweating or breaking into a cold sweat
• heart palpitations.

There can also be differences in symptoms of heart attack between men and women. Women are less likely than men to experience chest pain when they’re having a heart attack.

“Because of this, there’s sometimes a delay in the diagnosis of heart attacks in women,” says Dr Said. “Unfortunately, it can also delay treatment and lead to worse outcomes.”

The symptoms of heart attacks in women may include:

• pain in the jaw, arms, shoulder, back or neck
• shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
• nausea or vomiting
• fatigue
• cold sweats
• light-headedness or dizziness
• heart palpitations.

A heart attack in the outback

While volunteering at a rally at Tobermorey Station, near the Queensland and Northern Territory border, Craig, 53, started having uncomfortable heartburn symptoms. On the second last day of the event, he collapsed while walking to his campsite.   

“I can remember leaning up against the mudguard of a car trailer before I lost consciousness,” Craig says.

Fortunately, a passerby recognised he was in trouble and raised the alarm.

The event support crew quickly connected Craig to a defibrillator and oxygen, and a team of six people took turns performing CPR on him. With the closest hospital more than a 5-hour drive away, the crew called the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) from a phone number they found inside the station’s RFDS Medical Chest.

When the RFDS crew arrived, they continued using the defibrillator and performing CPR for half an hour. Once they’d resuscitated Craig and he was stable, they flew him directly to specialty cardiac services in Townsville.

“Not many people survive a cardiac arrest out of hospital in metropolitan areas,” says RFDS Flight Nurse (Midwifery) Jenay Scannell, who was part of the three-person crew assigned to Craig’s case.

“For Craig to be in the middle of the outback with such a fantastic outcome is testament to the vitality of the services that the RFDS provides.”

What to do if you think you’re having a heart attack

While people in rural or remote areas in some states or territories can rely on the RFDS for support during an emergency, for everyone else, it’s important to call 000 if you experience any of the symptoms of a heart attack – especially chest pain, or pain in the jaw or arm that’s persistent, says Dr Said.

“The quicker you’re treated, the better the outcomes are likely to be,” he says.

Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance services, which can be costly if you’re not covered by a state-based ambulance scheme. Having ambulance cover can give you peace of mind.

If you experience the symptoms of a heart attack only on exertion – like chest or jaw pain that appears when you exercise but goes away afterwards – you should still see your GP or consider going to the emergency department.

“These could be the symptoms of an impending heart attack, and they shouldn’t be ignored,” explains Dr Said.

How to reduce your risk of heart attack

Dr Said suggests making the following lifestyle changes to decrease your chance of having a heart attack.

Exercise for at least 150 minutes a week

Raise your heart rate with activities like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or a fitness class. Our HCF Healthful app helps you track and manage your workouts and wellbeing in real time^*.

Eat a healthy diet

Reduce your intake of processed foods and eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and dairy.

Maintain a healthy weight

Aim to keep your body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in the healthy range. Calculate your BMI here.

Quit smoking

Looking to give up smoking? Here’s some advice.

Reduce your alcohol intake

The free Daybreak app^{^} can help you change your relationship with alcohol.

Manage your stress

HCF’s wide range of mental health services can help you take control of your stress and anxiety, which may positively impact your heart health. Start with a free HealthyMinds Check-in⁺ and access evidence-based online therapy programs through our partnership with This Way Up^#.

Free heart health check

To help keep our members’ hearts healthy, we’ve partnered with Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute to offer free heart and diabetes health checks for eligible HCF members aged 18 and over at selected locations and dates^**. It only takes 10 minutes, and you can get your results right away.