Heart attack in women can give different symptoms than in men. The symptom most associated with a heart attack is chest pain. In women, it may not appear. What to look for?
Myocardial infarction in women
Heart attack is a state of direct threat to health and life. If you experience typical symptoms, such as severe chest pain and breathing problems, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Sometimes, however, a heart attack gives unusual symptoms that are easy to ignore. Women, due to the fact that heart attacks occur in them less often than in men, are more likely to ignore the symptoms, especially if they are nonspecific. Women may not experience chest pain. They may experience shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting or pain in the lower part of the chest.
Shallow breathing, which is often the first sign of a heart attack, is easily confused with a panic attack, especially when it is accompanied by anxiety and intense sweating. These two symptoms also indicate a heart attack.
Women may also experience muscle pain and sudden, extreme fatigue, as well as nausea and vomiting. It happens that due to non-specific symptoms, even a doctor has a problem at first with diagnosing a heart attack in a woman.
A heart attack is very dangerous, so you can not underestimate even the smallest problems. The sooner a woman goes to the doctor, the lower the chances of serious complications. A study conducted by Swiss researchers and published in the European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care shows that women wait an average of 37 minutes longer than men before contacting a doctor or going to the hospital. The study involved 4,000 people over a 16-year period. This is because non-specific symptoms can confuse the woman and her loved ones, which delays the call for help. This explains why there is a higher mortality rate from heart attack among women.
Symptoms of a heart attack that cannot be underestimated include :
- difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
- sweating, hard-to-define upper body pain
- feeling of fullness, heartburn-like discomfort
- nausea or vomiting
- sudden weakness and dizziness
- irregular heartbeat
- tightness in the chest.
In the case of a heart attack, it is extremely important to implement treatment as soon as possible.
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