Expert: Never self-diagnose a heart attack

GALVESTON, Texas, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A U.S. emergency physician advises to never self-diagnose a heart attack.

Dr. Angela Gardner, an emergency physician from Galveston, Texas, and president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, says self-diagnosis can waste extremely valuable time.

"It's not always easy for an emergency physician to properly diagnose a heart attack and that's with the use of high-tech instruments and tools specifically designed to do such things," Gardner said in a statement. "So a person should never assume anything when it comes to their health and well-being."

Saving a life, Gardner advises, starts with the patient picking up on the warning signs immediately and quickly summoning help.

Gardner says warning signs can include:

-- Squeezing chest pain or pressure.

-- Shortness of breath or excessive sweating.

-- Tightness in the chest with pain spreading to shoulders, neck or arm.

-- Feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting.

-- Sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness.

In women, the symptoms might be slightly different and include:

-- Indigestion or gas-like pain

-- Dizziness, nausea or vomiting.

-- Unexplained weakness or fatigue.

-- Discomfort or pain between shoulder blades.

-- Recurring chest discomfort.

-- Anxiety or a sense of impending doom.