Heart Attack Symptoms for Women

Heart disease and heart attacks take the lives of more women than men each year, and pose a greater threat to women in the US than all forms of cancer combined.

Unfortunately, many women do not know that the symptoms women experience when having a heart attack can be significantly different from those of men.

Classic Symptoms
Squeezing chest pain or pressure
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Tightness in chest
Pain spreading to shoulders, neck or arm
Sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness
Feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting

Symptoms More Likely in Women
Indigestion or gas-like pain
Dizziness, nausea or vomiting
Unexplained weakness, fatigue
Discomfort/pain between shoulder blades
Recurring chest discomfort
Sense of impending doom

Cardiovascular risks for African American Women

African American women and women in general experience high death rates from cardiovascular diseases. Studies conducted by Health and Human Services show that heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women. The study further states that African American women are more likely to develop heart disease as a complication of other health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle and smoking. The CDC also conducted research on women and Cardiovascular Diseases, corroborating these HHS findings:

• Risk of heart disease and stroke increases with age, over 45 million women in the United States who are 50 years and older have a Cardiovascular Disease.
• Low blood levels of "good" cholesterol appear to be a stronger predictor of heart disease death in women than men in the over-65 age group; high blood levels of triglycerides may be a particularly important risk factor in women and the elderly.
• Regular physical activity, healthy diet and a healthy weight reduce the risk of non-insulin-dependent Diabetics with type 2 diabetes, which appears to be an even stronger contributing risk factor for heart disease in women than in men.
• Diagnosis of heart disease presents a greater challenge in women than in men.

The Medical University of South Carolina has also conducted research into African American Women and stroke; their findings support a link between inactivity and health factors contributing to strokes. In their research they found the following:

• High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke. (The rate of high blood pressure for African American females ages 20 and older is 45.4%)
• Compared with white women, African American women have an 85% higher rate of emergency or immediate care visits for high blood pressure.
• The risk of heart disease and stroke increases with physical inactivity. For African American women ages 18 and older, 33.9% are inactive compared to 21.6% of the rest of the population.
• Of the total number of people living in the United States 18 years and older, 17.2% of African Americans females smoke putting themselves at risk for a heart attack and stroke.

African American women’s rate of tobacco use is also a major contributor to heart disease, cancer, and stroke. According to U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health, African American women do not begin smoking in adolescence, the typical time when people try cigarettes and the age group for which cessation programs are provided.  Thus, many prevention and cessation programs are not relevant to the older African American woman.

• If you are over age 18, have your blood pressure checked annually; over age 45, have your blood cholesterol and blood sugar checked each year; and if you have a family history of heart disease in a relative prior to the age of 60, especially in a female relative, ask your physician to do these tests at earlier ages and to consider additional tests such as treadmill testing and other heart disease screening tests.
• Be aware that the symptoms for women having a heart attack are often different from those of a man.
• Talk to your health professional regularly about your heart health. Be proactive in bringing this topic up for discussion. Ask for a thorough assessment of your heart disease risk factors: family history, cholesterol - especially LDL, HDL and triglycerides - glucose (blood sugar) levels, blood pressure, smoking history, weight, stress and exercise. If you have risk factors, formulate a plan to reduce or eliminate or reduce them.
• If you have one or more risk factors, ask your health professional if you should have an electrocardiogram (ECG) or exercise stress test.
• Ask your health professional to review risk factors for heart disease and heart attack symptoms during your annual check-up. Discuss these with your family and friends, along with the importance of calling 9-1-1 if these symptoms occur.
• Make sure you understand any medications or special instructions from your health professional, including when you need to have follow-up tests.
• Be aware of your diet and lifestyle. Read labels and avoid foods that are high in saturated fats. Aim to eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Whenever possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and look for other ways to get more exercise.
• If you do smoke, stop. If you do not smoke – do not start.
• Talk with your health professional about taking aspirin at the first sign of heart attack symptoms.
• If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, managing that condition can help reduce your increased risk for heart disease.
• If you should experience symptoms that could be a signal of a heart attack, call 9-1-1 and get to the emergency room quickly to minimize possible damage to your heart.

Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men

There are differences in how women and men respond to a heart attack. Women are less likely than men to believe they're having a heart attack and more likely to delay in seeking emergency treatment.

Further, women tend to be about 10 years older than men when they have a heart attack. They are more likely to have other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure-making it all the more vital that they get proper treatment fast.

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Common Myths about Heart Attacks

Myth - Crushing pain in the chest is the primary signal a heart attack. Chest pain is the most commonly reported heart attack symptom. But the pain may not feel severe or "stabbing." It may feel more like a discomfort. Chest discomfort may be accompanied by or follow shortness of breath. Or discomfort or pain may be felt in other areas of the upper body, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Also, other symptoms that can occur include breaking out in a "cold sweat," nausea, or light-headedness.

Myth - A good way to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack is to watch televised portrayals.
Many people who experience heart attacks say their heart attack was not what they had expected. Most people expect a heart attack to be a sudden intense pain, but often heart attacks start slowly as a mild pain. Patients whose experience did not match their expectations delayed longer before seeking treatment. Delay in seeking treatment costs lives.

Myth - Women do not frequently experience heart attacks.
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US, and over half of all heart attack deaths each year happen to women. Furthermore, women are less likely to survive a heart attack than are men. The most recent statistics released by the American Heart Association indicate that more women are dying from heart attacks than men.

Myth - African-American women die of heart attacks at the same rate as white women.
African-American women's death rates from heart attacks are a third higher than the rates for white women. In general, women and minorities delay longer before calling for help. African-American women also are at greater risk for hypertension and diabetes, which are both risk factors for heart disease.

Myth - Some people who are experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack are able to wait hours or even days before seeking needed medical care.
Many people do not recognize their symptoms as life-threatening. It is important to know the warning signs and take action quickly. Being treated within about an hour of the first symptoms can make a significant difference.

Heart attack deaths and heart damage can often be avoided when treatment begins within an hour of when the symptoms started. Most studies show a large reduction in death rates and in heart damage in patients treated within 1 hour of the start of symptoms.

Myth - In most cases a family member, such as a spouse, can persuade a loved one having a heart attack to seek help immediately.
Studies tell us that family members should expect lack of awareness or denial of the seriousness of the symptoms, and resistance to calling for help. Make a survival plan, before you need one. Whenever a heart attack is suspected, everyone should know to call 9-1-1 immediately. Wait no longer than 5 minutes, if symptoms persist. Do not wait for the person having symptoms to agree. Take charge to make sure the person receives treatment as soon as possible.

The most significant portion of delay time is due to patient delay, the time it takes for an individual to decide to ask for help. Sometimes a person is in denial and does not want to believe anything bad is happening, thus dismisses the seriousness of the symptoms. Sometimes people do not know the symptoms of heart attack.

Myth - Calling 9-1-1 for chest pain alone would probably turn out to be a waste of the emergency medical personnel's time.
Better to be safe than sorry, and sometimes chest pain-even mild chest pain-is the only indicator of a heart attack beginning. Emergency medical personnel, or mobile EMS teams, can diagnose a heart attack and begin treatments on the spot. They can even revive a heart that has stopped or is beating erratically. Call right away-do not wait longer than 5 minutes from when symptoms start. Emergency medical personnel want you to call to get a heart attack checked out. And even if the call turns out to be a false alarm, running the risk of feeling a little embarrassed is better than running the risk of dying or having a permanently damaged heart.

Myth - The vast majority of heart attacks occur in people over 65.
Forty-five percent, or nearly half, of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65. Five percent occur in people under age 40.

(1) Designate someone to offer to take 5 minutes with each Sunday School class to go over the warning signs of heart attacks and prevention strategies.

(2) Use bulletin boards to provide poster size awareness information.

(3) Pass out sugar free red candies to remind members of women’s heart awareness month
(4) Include heart health information in the church newsletter

(5) Include heart health information in the church bulletin

(6) Schedule a blood pressure screening before or after services and include heart health educational information as a display

(7) Designate a Sunday during February as women’s heart health awareness Sunday and ask everyone to wear red!

(8) Coordinate a “heart healthy” after-service potluck on a Sunday in February – recipes can be found at /healthinfo/recipes.pdf

Preventing Heart Attacks through Diet

Alimentese Correctamente (in Spanish)

Additional “Heart Healthy Resources on the National Health Ministries Website

• Heart Healthy Handbook for Women
• Heart Healthy Recipes

Other Resources can be found at:

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• National Heart Attack Alert Program
• MedicineNet

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