Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the U.S? Almost two-thirds of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
Most people think that sudden chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack. But it turns out that chest pain may not occur during a heart attack, particularly among women. In fact, the symptoms of a heart attack in women are much less dramatic than in men. This means that a lot of women don’t recognize the symptoms, which can lead to dangerous consequences including death.
Experts report that some of their female patients experienced back pain that came on suddenly and increased throughout the day. Other women experienced jaw pain, which occurred due to a heart attack. There’s no real good anatomic basis for it, but unfortunately, it happens all the time.
However, if you’re at home and these symptoms wake you up, call 911 immediately. Additionally, women who have diabetes may experience dampened pain and, thus may not notice chest discomfort when it increases. Therefore it’s essential to be aware of the other signs of heart attack that may accompany that discomfort.
7 Signs of Heart Attack
1. Dizziness
Dizziness and fainting are both warning signs of a heart attack or other serious health problems. If it occurs when you’re working out this might indicate a rare but dangerous heart disease, which is called Brugada syndrome.
2. Nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are very common signs of a heart attack in women. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that people often confuse their heart attack symptoms with food poisoning or other digestive problems.
3. Chest pain, tightness, or pressure
Chest discomfort and pain are probably the most obvious and common symptoms in both men and women. However, that chest pain isn’t always stabbing like in movies. In women, it might feel like pressure or tightness, especially in women.
4. Unexplained fatigue
Unexplained fatigue is nonspecific but it can indicate a heart attack. Undoubtedly, fatigue might also occur in a number of other issues like depression, anemia, thyroid diseases, and even cancer. If you notice unexplained fatigue, talk to your doctor.
5. Dyspnea
Although, not everyone experiences classic symptoms. Most people experience mild heart attack signs up to six weeks before the attack. Shortness of breath, also called dyspnea, is another classic symptom of heart attack that can sometimes be an accompanying symptom to unexplained fatigue in women. Therefore, if you have trouble breathing, turn to your doctor as soon as possible.
6. Pain that spreads into the jaw, back, shoulder, or arm
Heart attack-related chest pain can radiate to the jaw, shoulder, upper abdomen, back, and even left arm. It’s important to keep in mind that anything above the waist could be the heart.
7. Sudden sweating
Unusual and sudden sweating that often occurs at night is another surprising symptom of a heart attack. Although sweating can be easily confused with night sweats or hot flashes, which are actually common among older people, it tends to be very short. Sweating cal last over a minute or two. Therefore, if you have sudden and short sweats making it difficult for you to get back to sleep, it might indicate a heart attack.
