Heart Attack vs. High Blood Pressure: Symptoms & Differences

While a heart attack and high blood pressure can be closely related, they are two different serious medical conditions. A heart attack results from a sudden interruption to the heart's blood supply and can be fatal. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the result of artery blockages causing the heart to work harder than necessary to pump blood throughout the body.

Hypertension Symptoms

• Most people with high blood pressure do not experience symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. When symptoms do occur, they usually include headaches, dizziness and nosebleeds.

Chest Pain

• Chest pain is a major sign of a heart attack and is more likely to be the primary symptom experienced by men, according to the American Heart Association.

Bodily Pain

• Other body parts may experience pain when a heart attack is impending, especially among women, according to the American Heart Association. The arms, back, neck, jaw and stomach may all have pain or other discomfort.

Other Symptoms

• Nausea, breaking out into a cold sweat and shortness of breath are also potential heart attack symptoms that happen in both sexes but are more common in women, according to the American Heart Association.

Other Heart Attack Causes

• High blood pressure is not the only cause of a heart attack, but is a major contributing factor, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. High cholesterol, obesity, high blood sugar and cigarette smoking are just a few of the possible risk factors.