Welcome to Early Heart Attack Symptoms in Women. Our goal is to outline heart attack symptoms experienced by women and specifically, early warning signs. The one common theme for all heart attack victims is that survivability increases when people seek medical attention at the first signs of a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer in women in the United States. Thank you for taking the time to visit our website. Heart disease in women is a serious issue so we will get right to it:

The tell tale signs of a heart attack are mostly the same for eveyone:

1. Chest Pain
2. Shortness of Breath
3. Feeling extremely tired, weak, light headed or dizzy
4. Experiencing upper body pain, particularly in the neck, jaw or back
5. Discomfort in the arms and shoulders
6. Nausea

Some of the more common symptoms that are reported more by women:

1. Nausea or upset stomach
2. Neck and/or shoulder pain
3. Extreme fatigue

Womens Heart Disease is more likely to be mistakenly diagnosed for stress:

Dr. Bonnie Weiner, a medical doctor and cardiologist, points out on her "Seconds-Count" Blog for Physicians that heart disease is more commonly misdiagnosed as stress for women than it is in men. In her example, 230 family practice physicians were sampled. In the study, two fictional patients went to the their doctor with the same symptoms. The only difference was that one patient was a man and one was a woman. In both cases, the patients had just experienced a very stressful life event and, in both cases, the patients were complaining of irregular heart beat, shortness of breath and chest pain. The difference in diagnosis, however, was alarming: 56% of men were diagnosed with heart disease while only 30% of woman were referred to a cardiologist. The conclusion is that woman were more likely to have their symptoms diagnosed as phsychological resulting from stress.

Conclusion:

According to the American Heart Association, chest pain is the most common symptom in both men and women. The main difference, it seems, is that a larger portion of women do not report chest pain as a symptom. The group of women that do not experience chest pain during a heart attack are more likely to report shortness of breath or unusual fatigue. These symptoms are certainly more subtle as they can be attributed to the flu or emotional stress. These symptoms should be taken seriously.

The other common thread throughout the cardiovascular world is that many women experience heart attack symptoms in the weeks preceding a major attack. The main point here is that, if we learn to capture these signs and seek medical attention, we can prevent more heart attacks. As we continue to expand our website, we will bring more cardiovascular studies, methods of diagnosis, options for treatment, and educational resources. Please contact us anytime with thoughts or suggestions: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it