Heart attack signs different for women?
Q: Are the warning signs of a heart attack in women different from in men? A: Although heart disease is often seen as a male disease, more women than men die of heart disease each year. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, which is why it is vital that women learn the warning signs and symptoms, see a doctor regularly, and know their risk factors and family history.
Q: Are the warning signs of a heart attack in women different from in men?
A: Although heart disease is often seen as a male disease, more women than men die of heart disease each year. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, which is why it is vital that women learn the warning signs and symptoms, see a doctor regularly, and know their risk factors and family history.
Some heart-disease symptoms are different for women, making it hard for them to recognize what is happening.
Women may often have few of the typical heart attack symptoms, such as crushing chest pain.
While those symptoms can occur in women, many experience vague or even "silent" symptoms that may be ignored or downplayed. Their symptoms can be confused with everything from stress to a backache.
While the most common symptom in women is some type of pain - pressure or discomfort in the chest - women are more likely to have subtler symptoms, such as:
Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or abdominal discomfort.
Shortness of breath
Right arm pain
Nausea or vomiting
Sweating, light-headedness, or dizziness
Fainting, unusual fatigue
Rapid or irregular pulse
Women often attribute these symptoms to the flu, stress, or simply feeling under the weather. And not everyone gets all of those symptoms.
If you have chest discomfort, and especially if you also have one or more of the other signs, call 911 immediately. Do not drive yourself or have someone drive you to the ER unless you have no other choice.