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Heart Attacks In Women Symptoms

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Risk Factors For Heart Attack In Women

Mayo Clinic Minute: Women’s heart attack symptoms vary

In addition to knowing key heart attack symptoms, its also important to know if you have risk factors for heart disease. Many women arent aware that theyre at risk for heart attack, explains Dr. Lee. So when they start having symptoms, they dont even consider that its a warning sign.

Common risk factors for women include:

  • Certain medical conditions. Women are at higher risk for heart disease if they have diabetes, high blood pressure, or an inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
  • Pregnancy complications. Women who had pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, or preeclampsia are at higher risk for heart attack later in life.
  • Smoking. Research shows that smoking can increase the risk of heart attack for young people by sevenfold.3 And female smokers are 25% more likely to have heart disease than male smokers.3
  • Lifestyle choices. Poor diet, overuse of alcohol, and physical inactivity all increase a womans risk for heart attack.
  • Menopause. Lower levels of estrogen after menopause can increase the risk of heart attack for women.

Understanding your risk factors and knowing common heart attack symptoms are important first steps in taking care of your heart. Another way you can prevent heart disease is to take preventive steps to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.

1 Women and Heart Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov, accessed December 14, 2021.

Importante

When To Contact A Doctor

Its never too early to contact a doctor to discuss your risk of heart disease. In fact, the new primary prevention guidelines say that the earlier the risk factors for heart disease are prevented or treated, the less likely you are to develop heart disease later in life.

So, if youre concerned about your risk of heart disease, make an appointment to discuss how you can prevent this highly preventable condition. You can connect with a cardiologist in your area using the Healthline FindCare tool.

If youre having any symptoms at all, its very important to discuss these with your doctor, as heart disease can masquerade in many different ways.

Its easy to dismiss many warning signs of heart disease like fatigue, indigestion, and shortness of breath as just an ordinary part of life or mild illness. But because a heart attack can happen suddenly, its important not to ignore any potential warning signs.

If you have any of the above symptoms of heart disease, especially if you also have risk factors, contact a doctor.

Medical emergency

  • the presence of specific cholesterol markers
  • other specialized lipid tests

Your doctor may order other tests, too. For example:

A doctor might also suggest a continuous EKG or ambulatory arrhythmia monitor, where you wear a device that constantly records your hearts electrical signals. Depending on your symptoms, you might wear this device for a few days or a few weeks.

What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Attacks In Women

Until recently, research on heart attacks focused mainly on men. However, studies now show that some of the symptoms of heart attacks in women are different from those in men.

Too often, the signs of heart attacks go unnoticed in women . They may think that other health problems or drug side effects are causing their symptoms or that the symptoms will go away on their own. As a result, women don’t always get the health care they need to prevent complications or death from a heart attack.

Chest pain is the most common symptom in both sexes, but women may also experience these other symptoms:

  • unusual fatigue that gets worse with activity
  • difficulty breathing
  • heartburn that is unrelieved by antacids
  • nausea and/or vomiting that is unrelieved by antacids
  • tightening and pain in the chest that may extend into the neck, jaws and shoulders
  • general feeling of weakness

Some women may have few of these symptoms, while others may have all of them at the same time. Symptoms may suddenly appear and then disappear. Also, women often report symptoms up to one month before the heart attack. If a woman has any of these symptoms and thinks she may be having a heart attack, she should immediately call emergency or go to the nearest emergency medical centre.

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Do Women Of Color Need To Worry About Heart Disease

Yes. African American and Hispanic American/Latina women should be concerned about getting heart disease because they tend to have more risk factors than white women. These risk factors include obesity, lack of physical activity,high blood pressure, and diabetes. If you’re a woman of color, take steps to reduce your risk factors.

What Can I Do To Prevent Heart Disease

What Women Need to Know About Strokes and Heart Attacks

You can reduce your chances of getting heart disease by taking these steps:

Know your blood pressure. Years of high blood pressure can lead to heart disease. People with high blood pressure often have no symptoms, so have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years and get treatment if you need it.

Don’t smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. If you’re having trouble quitting, there are products and programs that can help:

Ask your doctor or nurse for help to provide information and therapies to help quit smoking.

Get tested for diabetes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose . People with high blood glucose often have no symptoms, so have your blood glucose checked regularly. Having diabetes raises your chances of getting heart disease. If you have diabetes, your doctor will decide if you need diabetes pills or insulin shots. Your doctor can also help you make a healthy eating and exercise plan.

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight raises your risk for heart disease. Calculate your Body Mass Index to see if you are at a healthy weight. Healthy food choices and physical activity are important to staying at a healthy weight:

  • Start by adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet.
  • Each week, aim to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
  • Be physically active
  • Read Also: When Should I Worry About My Heart Rate

    Why Heart Disease In Women Is So Often Missed Or Dismissed

    New research shows that women may not realize their symptoms point to heart trouble, and that medical providers arent picking up on it either.

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    Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in America, killing nearly 700,000 people a year. But studies have long shown that women are more likely than men to dismiss the warning signs of a heart attack, sometimes waiting hours or longer to call 911 or go to a hospital.

    Now researchers are trying to figure out why. They have found that women often hesitate to get help because they tend to have more subtle heart attack symptoms than men but even when they do go to the hospital, health care providers are more likely to downplay their symptoms or delay treating them. Health authorities say that heart disease in women remains widely underdiagnosed and under treated, and that these factors contribute to worse outcomes among women and heightened rates of death from the disease.

    How Is Heart Disease Treated In Women

    Similar action is taken to treat heart disease in both men and women. Depending on the diagnosis, treatments can include medications, angioplasty, stenting, coronary bypass surgery or cardiac rehabilitation. Your doctor may also recommend a change in lifestyle to delay the onset of heart disease.

    The most recent research shows that women are often being under-treated when it comes to heart disease, with women who suffer a heart attack half as likely to receive proper treatments and twice as likely to die as men.

    This highlights the need for women to be aware of their risk factors, as well as symptoms of heart disease, and learn what can be done to treat heart disease.

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    Pain In Other Parts Of The Body

    You may have experienced pain in other parts of your body if you had a heart attack. These symptoms can be very similar to those of other conditions:

    Pain in the jaw, neck, or back can be caused by inflammation and swelling of tissue. This is common after a heart attack and is usually temporary once you start taking medications for your condition that help reduce inflammation.

    Pain in the arm or shoulder may be caused by pressure on nerves that control muscle movement . It’s also possible for this kind of pain to signal damage to blood vessels near these nerves this type of nerve damage has been linked with certain types of strokes as well as cardiovascular disease itself!

    Do Women Experience Different Heart Attack Symptoms

    Women’s Heart Attack Symptoms

    It is important to remember that everyone experiences different heart attack symptoms. The symptoms of a subsequent heart attack may be different from the first.

    Women are more likely than men to experience heart attack symptoms without chest discomfort. If they do have tightness, pressure or discomfort in the chest, this discomfort may not always be severe or even the most noticeable symptom.

    Sometimes a person can have no heart attack symptoms at all. In these cases the heart attack isn’t diagnosed until it is picked up by a clinician at a later date. This is sometimes called a silent heart attack.

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    Heart Attacks Striking Younger Women

    Younger women are having more heart attacks, says a recent study.Researchers were surprised to find that while the heart attack rate hasdecreased among older adults, it’s risen among those ages 35-54, especiallywomen. TheAtherosclerosis Risk in Communities studyreviewed more than 28,000 hospitalizations for heart attacks in fourcities.

    “This observational study found a trend in young women,” saysVirginia Colliver, M.D., cardiologist withJohns Hopkins Community Physicians-Heart Carein Bethesda, Maryland. “But the research doesn’t provide insight into whythe uptick in heart attacks is happening to younger people. I suspect ithas to do with more people having risk factors for heart disease at anearlier age.”

    How Do I Know If I Have Heart Disease

    Heart disease often has no symptoms. But, there are some signs to watch for. Chest or arm pain or discomfort can be a symptom of heart disease and a warning sign of a heart attack. Shortness of breath , dizziness, nausea , abnormal heartbeats, or feeling very tired also are signs. Talk with your doctor if you’re having any of these symptoms. Tell your doctor that you are concerned about your heart. Your doctor will take a medical history, do a physical exam, and may order tests.

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    Are There Complications Of A Heart Attack

    Complications following a heart attack can include:

    • Arrhythmia your heart may develop an irregular heartbeat following a heart attack due to damaged heart muscles disrupting electrical signals.
    • Heart failure your heart may have ongoing difficulty pumping enough blood, due to its muscles being too weak or stiff.
    • Cardiogenic shock where your whole body goes into shock from extensive heart muscle damage.
    • Heart rupture this is a rare but serious complication in which the hearts muscles, walls or valves split apart.

    These can be dangerous if untreated, but your healthcare team will help to manage them if they occur.

    What To Do If You Notice Heart Attack Symptoms

    Image result for heart disease women

    If you do suspect you might have heart attack symptoms and some do appear weeks or months before a heart attack dont discount them out of hand or let them linger for too long. Women often think its something else, says Dr. Cho. The sad thing is, women do tend to have more blockages in their heart when they do need to have something done.

    In fact, women tend to get heart disease later than men do. Men get in their 50s and 60s, and women get it in their 60s and 70s, says Dr. Cho. Women always get it 10 years later because of the effect of estrogen.The sooner you report a problem, the better chance you have of catching an issue before it becomes a full-blown heart attack. If you experience any of these symptoms, take note and visit your doctor as quickly as possible. Its very important that you not become your own doctor but let somebody else be your doctor, Dr. Cho says.

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    Do Women Need To Worry About Heart Disease

    Yes. Among all U.S. women who die each year, one in four dies of heart disease. In 2004, nearly 60 percent more women died of cardiovascular disease than from all cancers combined. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease. All women should take steps to prevent heart disease.

    Both men and women have heart attacks, but more women who have heart attacks die from them. Treatments can limit heart damage but they must be given as soon as possible after a heart attack starts. Ideally, treatment should start within one hour of the first symptoms.

    If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 911 right away. Tell the operator your symptoms and that you think you’re having a heart attack.

    What Should I Do If I Have Heart Attack Symptoms

    If you think you, or someone else, may be having a heart attack, call 911 right away. Do not drive yourself to the hospital, and do not let a friend drive you. You may need medical help on the way to the hospital. Ambulance workers are trained to treat you on the way to the emergency room.

    Getting to the hospital quickly is important. Treatments for opening clogged arteries work best within the first hour after a heart attack starts.

    If you think you’re having a heart attack, get emergency help right away. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are overreacting or to wait and see. Get tips on how best to describe your symptoms and how to ask for tests that can show whether you’re having a heart attack.

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    Dont Hesitate To Call 911

    Learn the signs for heart attack, and remember: Even if youre not sure its a heart attack, have it checked out.

    Minutes matter. Fast action can save lives – maybe your own.

    if you experience heart attack warning signs. Calling 911 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.

    An emergency medical services team can begin treatment when they arrive up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.

    For many reasons, its best to call 911 so that an experienced EMS team can begin treatment and arrange rapid transport to the emergency room.

    Causes And Risk Factors

    Mayo Clinic Minute – Women’s heart attack symptoms vary

    Risk factors such as age, lifestyle habits, and other health conditions affect men and women differently.

    • Women may get heart attacks at older ages than men do.
    • Smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity, and stress raise the risk of a heart attack more in women than in men.
    • Women are more likely than men to have heart attacks that are not caused by coronary artery disease. This can make it more difficult for healthcare providers to diagnose heart attacks in women.
    • Women have more health problems after having a heart attack than men do.

    Learn about how women can prevent heart disease.

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    Women Face Longer Waits And Slower Diagnosis

    In a study , researchers analyzed data on millions of emergency room visits before the pandemic and found that women and especially women of color who complained of chest pain had to wait an average of 11 minutes longer to see a doctor or nurse than men who complained of similar symptoms. Women were less likely to be admitted to the hospital, they received less thorough evaluations and they were less likely to be administered tests like an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which can detect cardiac problems.

    Dr. Alexandra Lansky, a cardiologist at Yale-New Haven Hospital, recalled one patient who had gone to multiple doctors complaining of jaw pain, only to be referred to a dentist, who extracted two molars. When the jaw pain didnt go away, the woman went to see Dr. Lansky, who discovered the problem was heart related. She ended up having bypass surgery because the jaw pain was heart disease, said Dr. Lansky, who directs the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center.

    Ultimately, 72 percent of women who had a heart attack waited more than 90 minutes to go to a hospital or call 911, compared to 54 percent of men. Slightly more than half of the women called a relative or a friend before dialing 911 or going to a hospital, compared to 36 percent of the men.

    Check Your Blood Pressure

    Experts recommend that you have your blood pressure checked any time you see your see a healthcare provider, including visits to an OB/GYN provider.

    High blood pressure is one of a group of symptoms called metabolic syndrome that also includes high cholesterol, high triglycerides , increased waist circumference, insulin resistance, and obesity.

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