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Heart disease kills more women every year than any other health condition.
However, a new study suggests that more work is needed to help women and their doctors recognize heart attack symptoms, since women are less likely than men to show up at the hospital with chest pain.
And younger women (those under age 55) who do show up without chest pain during a heart attack are more likely to die, compared to their male counterparts.
These findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Heart Attacks in Women: Different Symptoms, Different Outcomes
Seeded on Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:30 PM EST
Article Source: WebMD Health- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (9)
What does a heart attack feel like for a woman? “They may feel like they have run a marathon, but they haven't made a move, or they may feel pressure in their chest that feels like an elephant is sitting on it,” Goldberg says.
Women having a heart attack may also experience other symptoms such as:
Women need to know their risks and take steps to lower them in order to help prevent life-threatening heart attacks.
Risk factors for heart disease include:
- High cholesterol levels
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Having a family history of heart disease
Being overweight or obese, being inactive, and having a poor diet doesn’t help, either.
- 2 votes
#1 - Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:31 PM ESTThe symptoms look so much like the flu or a stomach virus, or any number of other bugs. It worries me that not only might I miss it in a friend or loved one, but even a doctor/nurse might not realize what was happening.
Thanks for the 'heads up' McSpocky.
- 2 votes
I am so very glad you seeded this! I wanted to, as I am living proof of what they describe. I had NO idea I was having a heart attack. It felt just like a hiatal hernia attack, except the my jaw ached as if I had been running around outside in cold weather...
I had felt the intial symptoms for 3 days before the bad one hit-- fatigue, heaviness, and, frankly, a feeling of impending doom. I called my doctor, (it was the weekend), and HE didn't recognize the symptoms either. Finally, after the searing pain of what I thought was a hiatal hernia attack, didn't go away, my husband took me to the Immediate Care Center, and I was having a major heart attack.
What a shock. I was 46 years old, and I had a 3 year old son. That was 10 years ago, and thank heavens I'm still ticking. :-)
- 2 votes
#2 - Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:01 PM ESTSpeaking for all your friends here, we're glad you're still ticking too. Stay well:-)
- 3 votes
Wow! Great to hear you made it through to warn others that heart attacks when you're younger can display atypical symptoms.
There's a local series of ads aimed at alerting men to the dangers of heart attacks. One uses a backwards Memento-like theme. Starts with a dead guy describing the warning signs that he ignored, but wished he hadn't. They keep hammering the point that it's better to make a mistake and be alive than to tough it out and be dead.
- 4 votes
Thanks, both of you!
Well, the good thing is that they are learning more and more about the factors that can increase the risks of heart attack-- things more than just diet and exercise. I had been having a lot of trouble sleeping, I worked in a non-traditional field, I had just lived through a difficult pregnancy, plus other stress factors. So, afterwards, reading all this, I found that I was really ripe for it to happen.
Now, I take it easier, try not to stress out as much, etc. :-)
I just want every woman to be aware that heart attacks in women don't always present in traditional means. If you just feel awful, your jaw aches, you feel a general heaviness-- you could be in serious trouble. And an EKG doesn't hurt, is an easy test to perform, and could really save your life. :-)
Thanks again, both of you-- you are very dear!
- 3 votes
With such vague symptoms, that's a scary situation, especially when there more so many other stress issues.
My GP has been getting an ECG/EKG all of his patients before they have heart problems so there's a baseline on record of what's normal.
- 3 votes
Red Wolf, I think your primary physician is being smart-- it's not like an EKG is an invasive procedure or anything. It can be scary, especially when you're wired to the walls for days on end, but it doesn't hurt.
McSpocky, thanks. I am very glad to be alive, myself! :-)
- 2 votes
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