Cardiac doctor shares one unusual sign that suggests you might be having a heart attack

There are few medical issues as serious or scary as a heart attack, and it turns out there are plenty of signs that you might be suffering from one.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of heart attacks are that they can seemingly strike at any point and any age, with one fitness fanatic ignoring the ball of fire in his chest while completing a Hyrox only to later realise he was having one.

It's also not always easy to drag yourself to the doctors, especially if you downplay your symptoms, as one woman in Texas did for a whole week before eventually succumbing to the serious condition, which sees the supply of blood to the heart suddenly blocked.

Dr Chris Kelly, a chair of cardiology at the UNC Rex hospital in North Carolina, USA, has revealed three major signs which might suggest someone is having a heart attack, and for each of them he urges going straight to hospital, even though one of them is seen to be more unusual and more commonly associated with other illnesses than the other two.

Chest pain or tightness is the most common symptom of a heart attack (Getty Stock)

Chest pain

He said: "The first sign of a possible heart attack is the most classic sign of them all, and that is chest pain.

"Sometimes it is described as chest pressure, tightness, fullness or just aching.

"If you are having anything in your chest that feels uncomfortable and its not getting better after a few minutes, especially if it's also going into your shoulders, arms or jaw, that's a really concerning sign and you need to get to an emergency room straight away."

Shortness of breath

The second warning sign Dr Kelly describes is sudden onset shortness of breath.

It's a worrying sign if you feel like this while sat still (Getty Stock)

He says: "If you're not really doing anything but you feel like you've just run a mile it could be a sign that your heart is struggling to function properly and fluid is backing up into your lungs."

So, while shortness of breath is to be expected if you're taking part in physical activity, you'll need to be more wary of it if you're just sat still.

Nausea and abdominal pain

The third sign Dr Kelly mentions is perhaps the most surprising and unusual one, and that is that abdominal pain and nausea can also be a symptom of a heart attack.

These can obviously be associated with many other illnesses, and perhaps makes you more likely to dismiss them, but in women especially, prolonged nausea can be a key symptom of a heart attack.

Dr Kelly says: "A lot of things can cause that but if you have risk factors for heart disease and you're over the age of 50, and you have sudden onset belly pain and nausea and you just don't feel right, that could actually be a sign of a heart attack.

"This is particularly common in women."

The sooner you get to the emergency room, the more likely it is that your heart will recover, so if you experience any of these signs, it's vital to act quickly.