Mention the term heart attack, and people immediately think about the serious medical condition affecting men. What might surprise you is that women are at higher risk for a fatal heart attack than men. According to the National Registry of Myocardial Infarctions, compared to men, women have nearly twice the death rate from heart attack---largely because of their failure to recognize its symptoms and because of misdiagnosis when being treated in medical facilities.
The reason why twice as many women die from heart disease than men is largely due to ignorance on the part of either the patient or the health care professional. A 2005 study conducted by the American Heart Association indicated that only 8 percent of family physicians and 17 percent of cardiologists were aware that heart disease kills more women than men.
If you're a woman over the age of 40 or living with a woman who is at risk for heart disease, it's important you learn the symptoms of a heart attack specific to women.
Common Heart Attack Symptoms
Most people are familiar with the common symptoms of a heart attack because of the attention to them in movies, television shows and other media. The most common signs and symptoms include tightness in the chest, squeezing chest pain or pressure, profuse sweating, pain in the shoulders, neck or left arm, indigestion, heartburn, vomiting, sudden dizziness or lack of consciousness. These symptoms can last for minutes, hours or can completely disappear on their own. Often, these symptoms are the first signs of a fatal heart attack and require immediate attention.
First Signs of Heart Attacks and Confused Symptoms
Unlike men, women suffer from their own heart attack symptoms that are often confused with gastrointestinal problems. These include indigestion or gas-like pain, nausea or vomiting. As a result, many women discount the severity of their symptoms and fail to seek medical attention. When they do, they are often misdiagnosed by doctors and other health care professionals, sent home and told to buy antacids or an over-the-counter solution for indigestion.
Other Missed Symptoms
In addition to the symptoms confused with indigestion, women suffer from a sense of impending doom, mild to severe discomfort between the shoulder blades, recurring chest pain over extended periods of time, unexplained weakness or fatigue and dizziness. In many cases, heart attack symptoms appear to be mild and not associated with a heart attack. As a result, many women discount the severity of their symptoms and fail to seek medical attention.
Suggestions From the American Heart Association
Women typically develop heart disease in manners that are different from men. They often develop heart disease later and at slower rates than men. Because women's symptoms occur more slowly over time and do appear as suddenly as with men, they are often ignored. If you're a woman with who is at high risk for heart attack and continue to experience any unusual, unexplained symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention.
