Some patients have aura symptoms prior to cardiovascular blockage. More than half of patients have prodromal symptoms such as weakness, chest discomfort, palpitations on activity, shortness of breath, irritability and angina in the days before onset.
The most prominent of these are new onset angina, or aggravation of existing angina. Detecting the precursors and treating them promptly and aggressively has the potential to prevent acute myocardial infarction in some patients.