Women account for nearly half of the 500,000 heart attack deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Women's Heart Foundation. Immediate treatment at the first signs of a heart attack can prevent death because medication and other treatment becomes essential within an hour of initial symptoms. Advanced treatment and newer blood tests make diagnosing a heart attack quicker and effective.
Warning
Some symptoms of a heart attack may differ between men and women. About a third of women have no chest pains when having a heart attack. More than 70 percent experience flu-like symptoms as early as two weeks to a month prior to having chest discomfort or severe shortness of breath that indicate heart attack, the foundation notes. Women need to report such milder symptoms to emergency personnel for accurate treatment.
Significance
Many women do not believe a heart attack is occurring because they think it happens more often to men. Heart attacks strike women when they are about 10 years older than male heart attack victims, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Heart disease is the nation's number one killer for men and women. Women are especially vulnerable to damage from a heart attack because they are more likely to suffer from such conditions as high blood pressure, diabetes and congestive heart failure, making quick treatment essential.
Effects
Women, like men, may experience pain in the center of the chest as a heart attack symptom. The pain or discomfort may spread to the upper body, including the back, stomach, arms, neck or jaw. Lightheadedness may also occur. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain when having a heart attack.
Misconceptions
Other symptoms may have similarities to a panic attack, which may confuse women having a heart attack. Symptoms may include rapid or pounding heartbeat, a feeling of impending doom, burning sensations in the chest, sweating, severe indigestion and the sudden onset of unusual fatigue. Sudden fatigue is a key factor for a woman having a heart attack.
Prevention/Solution
Symptoms that last for more than two to three minutes or pain that leaves and then returns indicate heart disease complications or heart attack. Women should call for emergency help and consume aspirin if available to prevent more damage to the heart muscle, the Women's Heart Foundation explains. Tests can quickly determine heart disease or heart attack. Medicine that dissolves blot clots causing the problem or treatment, such as angioplasty to clear blocked blood vessels, can avoid fatal consequences.
