Heart attacks are a serious medical emergency and they require immediate treatment, warned the NHS.
The condition, which is also known as a myocardial infarction, is caused by the heart’s blood supply suddenly becoming blocked.
Without enough blood, the heart can become seriously damaged, and it may be life-threatening.
You could be at risk of a heart attack if you suddenly have a pain in between your shoulder blades.
A pain between the shoulders could be an early warning sign of a myocardial infarction, warned Beaumont Health.
It could be caused by the radiating pain that usually starts in the chest, although not everyone has severe chest pain.
Women are more likely to have pain between the shoulder blades, as well as a number of other uncommon warning signs of heart attacks.
“When it comes to your heart or the heart of someone you love, recognising and responding to seemingly minor symptoms can make a big difference – and those symptoms might not be what you’d expect,” it said.
“Particularly for women, symptoms of heart attack can be very different from what most think of as traditional heart attack warning signs.
“For example, in addition to chest pain, women may experience pain between the shoulder blades, shortness of breath or just a general feeling of discomfort or uneasiness that is tough to define.
“Symptoms could even include jaw pain or something that feels like heartburn.”
If you notice these warning signs in yourself, or in somebody else, you should phone for an ambulance straight away, it added.
Waiting to call an ambulance can cause major damage to the heart, and may even lead to congestive heart failure – where the heart’s too weak to pump blood around the body.
“Often, once this damage is done, no amount of intervention or rehabilitation can bring back full cardiac function,” said Beaumont Health.
“And it is better to have the reassurance that the issue was not serious than to ignore it and discover the opposite.”
More common warning signs of a heart attack include severe chest pain, excessive sweating, and feeling dizzy.
The most common cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease – a condition that’s caused by fatty deposits of cholesterol blocking the blood flow in arteries.
You could lower your chances of heart disease, and subsequently heart attacks, by eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Smoking and obesity are two of the most common causes of heart disease.
It’s also crucial to exercise regularly. All adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week.