Heart disease is the most common cause of death for women in the United States. Most older women are aware that their risk of heart disease increases once they've gone through menopause.
But many women under the age of 55 don't realize that they're at risk too. 16,000 younger women die every year in the US alone from heart disease. Many of these women lose their lives because they never realized that they were having a heart attack.
Heart Attack Symptoms In Men Are Well-Known
Any man who has severe chest pain, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, sweating, and pain that radiates into the left arm and maybe even up the neck into the jaw, knows enough to get to the hospital right away.
The problem is that a woman who has a heart attack may not suffer severe pain in her chest at all. In fact, more than half of all women who have had heart attacks never had any chest pain, either before or during the heart attack. However, many doctors still believe that crushing chest pain is the most important symptom of a heart attack, both for males and females.
Do Women Have Different Heart Attack Symptoms?
A woman may have the same symptoms of a heart attack as men do. But many women experience very different symptoms. Often a woman will notice certain problems occurring a month or more before a heart attack actually happens. She may feel very tired all the time, which she blames on not sleeping well at night. She may think she has acid reflux disease, with a burning sensation behind her breastbone. Shortness of breath and recurring discomfort in her chest may be a problem, as well as weakness in her arms.
Many women also reported feeling very anxious, as though something bad was going to happen.
When a heart attack actually occurs, a woman may not experience very much chest pain at all. Instead she may feel a pain between her shoulder blades. She may feel very tired or weak. Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting are also common, as in men.
It's important to understand that women's heart attack symptoms can be very different from those of a man's. Many women ignore the symptoms they have simply because they aren't aware of what they might mean. Women tend to think they're just tired because they're stressed about something, or because they did too much.
Any middle-aged woman who suddenly is having heartburn that doesn't respond to antacids or other treatment should see her doctor right away, especially if she's feeling extremely tired or weak or is having trouble sleeping at night.
It's easy for a woman to think that what she doesn't know can't hurt her, but in this case, what she doesn't know can have dire consequences.
References:
Younger Women Ignore Heart Attack Symptoms
Women's Heart Attack Symptoms Different from Men's
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