Women and Heart attacks?

Question

How do you know if you are having a heart attack? I had heard that the symptons are different for women?

Answer 1

This is a very important question. I ignored chest pain that I thought was reflux or indigestion, and I had a heart attack. Here's some info:

Symptoms
The symptoms to look for are:

* Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
* Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, upper back, jaw, or arms.
* Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath.

Some women have fewer chest symptoms, but other symptoms:

* Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain.
* Nausea or dizziness.
* Unexplained anxiety and nervousness, weakness or overwhelming tiredness.
* Cold, sweaty skin, and paleness.
* Swelling of the ankles and/or lower legs.

Some women mistakenly think only crushing chest pain is a symptom of a heart attack and, therefore, delay seeking medical care. Others have found that their doctor made a mistake and failed to recognize their heart attack symptoms, telling the women to go home and rest or that it is probably just indigestion. That's why it is so important for you to insist that the doctor administer an EKG test or an enzyme blood test to see if you are having a heart attack. Don't be shy - it's your heart and your life!

You can get lots of great info on heart health for wome at http://www.womenhealth.org

Good luck.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Women should learn the heart attack warning signs. These are:

Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest.


Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.


Other symptoms, such as a shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.


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.

Answer 5

Women are less subjected to a heart attack than men before menopause. After menopause the incidence is the same. Obesity,high blood cholesterol and hypertension are predisposing factors. Emotional disturbances,a heavy meal or strenuous physical activity precipitate an attack.
Symptoms include sense of heaviness or pressure in the chest (not pricking or stabbing) that last for several minutes and radiating to the shoulder elbow or Little finger(left). Cold sweating and dizziness. The attack can be resolved by lying down. ECG may show changes in ST sigment and there may be changes in cardiac enzymes.

Answer 6

Yes. Men are more likely to have "classic" symptoms of crushing pain or pressure in the chest, sometimes radiating to left arm. Women are more likely to have "atypical" symptoms which might be shortness of breath, milder pain confused with indigestion or heartburn, or a feeling of fatigue and feeling not well without specific complaints. Either sex can have either type of symptoms, however, and it is also possible to have a "silent" heart attack where the heart is experiencing damage but the signs are subtle enough that the person does not know that anything is wrong.

Answer 7

When my mother had her's,she felt no pain at all. She just felt something was very very wrong with her. She also was sweating a lot which she never does.

My sister gave her 2 aspirins to take before the ambulance came. The doctor's say that those aspirins saved her heart and her life.

Symptoms can be left jaw pain, left arm pain, extreme anxiety, profuse sweating, stomach pain and nausea, or as in my mother's case, just extreme anxiety only.

Keep 2 aspirin with you at all times. You never know when they might save a life!

Answer 8

My Mom died from a heart attack 8 years ago, at only age 53! She did not have normal symptoms at all, and had even had a full physical three weeks earlier, so this is an excellent question.

She had a stomach ache. She thought she had it because she had been exposed to stomach flu a few days before. The stomach ache was in the top of her stomach. After a while, the pain in her stomach went away, and she went to the store, met with her sister, and decorated an entire wedding cake! That night the stomach ache returned. My Dad offered to bring her to the hospital, but she turned him down, insisting she must just have stomach flu. They went to bed. My Dad got up the next morning and went to work.

At 8 AM, my Mom came downstairs, and woke me up telling me that she was sick and could not babysit for my sister. I sprang out of bed, and asked her if she still had 'that stomach ache'. She told me that she'd been up and down all night, swallowing water, trying to get the vitamins to go down that felt stuck in her throat. She refused to let me call her doctor, so I had her lay down while I called the ER. They were very casual about it, and told her that she could come in sometime that day if she wanted. She looked sick and was growing more pale, so I put her in the car to bring her to the ER myself. Before I even got the key in the ignition, she moaned "Oh it hurts so bad!" and then died. It was horrible, and absolutely shocking to all of us. I had not had CPR training in twenty years and did not know how to revive her. She is incredibly missed, and our family has never been the same. She woke me up at 8:00 AM, and was dead at 8:10 AM. Don't fool around! She had no sweating, chills, nausea, pain in her arm or chest - none of those things, just a stomach ache, and later a feeling like her vitamins had gotten caught in her esophogus.

Look at the link of the american heart assn for more information.

Don't leave your loved ones behind! When in doubt, call! My son is now an EMT, and they would always rather come to see an OK person, then to risk it

"- 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.

Learn the signs, but remember this: Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out. Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. The 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.

If you can't access the emergency medical services (EMS), have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option."

Answer 9

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Answer 10

You have been provided with some great information but also check out www.goredforwomen.org
It's filled with great information!