Why do we sweat profusly while having a heart attack?

This was a really good read and a great find. Including the comment above. I suffered from sweaty armpits and excessive sweating for close on 25 years and went to doctors numerous times worrying myself silly about heart attacks and cardiology! I wish this kind of info was as freely accessible back then as it is now. Thanks for taking the time to put this info on the net for others to read!

All the best,
George

Anon, we have a really great encyclopedia page on EmpowHer that explains a lot about heart attacks:

https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/heart-attack

That's a very interesting question about the sweating; I never thought about it or wondered about it myself. Great question!!!

Here's an article from Science Daily that also explains why we should be aware of unexplained sweating (for instance, if you are not exercising or exerting yourself):

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122183817.htm

Thank you for your question.

According to WebMd, sweating is due to an activation of the symptomatic nervous system with a "fight or flight" response. This is why sweating is often associated with heart attacks. Did you know that sweating is one of the main symptoms that cause heart attack victims to seek medical attention?

For more information regarding heart attacks, click here from American Heart.org http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4578.