onset varied from a vague to a distinct and sudden onset. Some of the participants described symptoms that had gone on for days, weeks, and sometimes a month
or more before the acute onset ofMI. These symptoms
(labeled in the literature as prodromal symptoms) were
sometimes difficult to distinguish from the acute MI
symptoms. They also contributed to delays in seeking
care because the participants expected the symptoms
to disappear, as they had on previous occasions.Many
participants described not only pain located in the chest
but also pain, discomfort, and numbness in other loca-
tions such as arms, back, stomach, jaws, and fingers. The
participants described numerous other symptoms, such
as shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, diarrhea, and heart palpitations. Symptom
intensity ranged from weak to severe and unbearable.