A heart attack or stroke can cause serious health complications for women if not recognized and treated immediately. While men and women experience many of the same symptoms of heart attack or stroke, women can experience a different set of symptoms. These symptoms may not be predominately recognized as warning signs that something is amiss. Seeking medical attention immediately for unusual symptoms is a woman's best chance for surviving a cardiac or stroke event.
Heart Attack: Discomfort
Chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack for both men and women. Pain in the chest may be located in the middle of the breastbone or on the left side over the heart. Chest pressure often accompanies pain.
Women may experience pain and discomfort in other areas of the body such as the upper back, between the shoulder blades, in one or both arms, shoulders and neck. Abdominal pain or discomfort, and heartburn are other heart attack symptoms women may experience.
Discomfort in these areas of the body may be present days before a heart attack occurs, or may happen suddenly.
Stroke: Weakness
Stroke symptoms tend to appear as the stroke is occurring. Sudden weakness on either side of the body is a typical stroke symptom for both women and men. A woman may experience sudden left- or right-sided weakness that includes the arm or leg or a weakness in facial muscles that make it difficult or impossible to smile. A facial droop may be apparent as well, causing the mouth to sag on either the right or left side.
Stroke-related weakness can appear suddenly and get worse over minutes or hours. A new onset of body weakness or weakness that worsens should be evaluated for possible stroke in any age woman.
Heart Attack: Fatigue
Fatigue or extreme constant tiredness is a heart attack symptom for women. In some cases, fatigue can precede a cardiac event by several days. A woman may notice that she is more tired than usual or has trouble completing everyday tasks, such as doing laundry without becoming tired.
Family doctor.org reports that cardiac-related fatigue for women will feel overwhelming. Fatigue accompanied by additional heart attack symptoms, or that which is markedly worse or sudden, is cause for medical evaluation to determine if cardiac trouble is occurring.
Stroke: Dizziness
According to the National Institutes of Health, women may experience sudden dizziness, difficulty walking and balance problems at the onset of stroke.
A lack of coordination, trouble grasping or hanging onto objects, such as car keys, and stumbling when walking are stroke warning signs, and can occur as just one symptom or a grouping of symptoms. Women may also experience a sudden headache and blurred vision in addition to other symptoms.
