Diabetes increases the risk of having a heart attack, but it may also change the symptoms and make diagnosis more difficult. Classic symptoms of a heart attack are:

• Pain or a tightness in the chest
• Pain or discomfort in the arms, back, jaw, neck, or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Anxiety, or a sense of doom
• Light-headedness

Because of nerve damage, people with diabetes may not have typical chest pain during a heart attack. Instead, people with may experience milder chest pressure or sudden shortness of breath or sweating, or even an unexplainable change in blood glucose levels.