Women’s Heart Attack Symptoms

Every year hundreds of thousands of women die as the result of a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease. Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. Between the ages of 40 and 60, as many women die of heart disease as breast cancer.

What many people, including many healthcare professionals, don’t realize is that the symptoms of heart attack in women are often different than in men. Women are more likely to experience nausea, dizziness, and anxiety as symptoms that indicate a heart attack.

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

• Chest pain-may also include back pain and/or deep aching and throbbing in one or both arms.

• Breathlessness and/or inability to catch your breath when waking up.

• Clammy sweating.

• Dizziness–unexplained lightheadedness, possible blackouts.

• Anxiety–unusual nervousness, feelings of impending doom.

• Edema–fluid retention and swelling usually of the ankles or lower legs.

• Fluttering–rapid heartbeats, palpitations.

• Nausea–gastric upset.

About a third of women experience no chest pain at all when having a heart attack and 71% of women report flu-like symptoms for two weeks to a month prior to having more acute chest discomfort or severe shortness of breath. These milder symptoms are under-reported to emergency room staff.

The doctor will order an electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood work to see if you have had a heart attack. Even if your EKG is normal, more testing is necessary. A number of new tests make it possible to diagnose a heart attack more quickly and accurately than ever before. Emergency room doctors have been trained to diagnose heart attacks quickly and to start treatments rapidly to prevent damage to your heart muscle. Please consult with your EliteHealth physician to find out about prevention methods.