According to the CDC statistics, coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. More women die from some form of heart disease than from all forms of cancer. Though women can experience the same warnings signs of a heart attack as men, there are warning signs that are particular to women.
Early symptoms of a heart attack
Jean McSweeney, M.D. and her colleagues surveyed a group of over 500 women who had suffered a heart attack. Almost all of the women experienced early symptoms weeks before their heart attack. Unusual fatigue and a disturbance in sleep patterns were the two most common symptoms. They reported having shortness of breath, indigestion, and a feeling of anxiety. Less than one- third of the women in this study reported any early warning signs of chest pain or discomfort.
Rene Martin, M.D. and a team of researchers interviewed men and women who had recently suffered a heart attack . Their goal was to see if men and women experience any differences in early and acute heart attack symptoms. They found that women were more likely than men to think that their symptoms were related to a gastrointestinal condition, stress, or anxiety.
Acute symptoms of a heart attack
A heart attack occurs because there is a blockage of blood flow to a portion of the heart muscle. If the blood flow is not restored quickly, the affected heart muscle is permanently damaged and dies. Commonly during a heart attack, a person will experience some type of chest discomfort. This sensation can vary among individuals. According to Sharonne Hayes, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, women are more likely to have pain in their shoulders or between the shoulder blades, nausea and vomiting, and a feeling of an upset stomach. Some women have pain in their jaw, arm, back, or chest. Cold sweats and dizziness are additional acute symptoms that women experienced during a heart attack.
Angina and coronary artery disease
Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease. It is chest pain or discomfort caused by low oxygen-rich blood flow to part of the heart muscle. Women experience angina and are diagnosed with coronary artery disease at a much older age than men. Estrogen, the female hormone, appears to have a protective effect in keeping the good cholesterol or HDL at adequate levels. Estrogen relaxes the muscles of the arteries and helps maintain a normal blood pressure. Following menopause, a woman's risk for a heart disease-related death increases.
