Six symptoms of heart attack in women

WHEN A heart attack strikes, it does not always feel the same in women as it does in men.

Women do not always get the same classic heart attack symptoms as men, such as crushing chest pain that radiates down one arm. Those heart attack symptoms can certainly happen to women, but many have vague or even ‘silent’ symptoms that they may miss.

These six heart attack symptoms are common in women:

• Chest pain or discomfort: Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom, but some women may experience it differently than men. It may feel like a squeezing or fullness, and the pain can be anywhere in the chest, not just on the left side.

• Pain in your arm(s), back, neck, or jaw: This type of pain is more common in women than in men. It may confuse women who expect their pain to be focused on their chest and left arm, not their back or jaw. The pain can be gradual or sudden, and it may wax and wane before becoming intense. If you are asleep, it may wake you up. You should report any not typical or unexplained symptoms in any part of your body above your waist to your doctor or other healthcare provider.

• Stomach pain: Sometimes people mistake stomach pain that signals a heart attack with heartburn, the flu, or a stomach ulcer. Other times, women experience severe abdominal pressure that feels like an elephant sitting on their stomach.

• Shortness of breath, nausea, or lightheadedness: If you are having trouble breathing for no apparent reason, you could be having a heart attack, especially if you’re also having one or more other symptoms. It can feel like you have run a marathon, but you did not make a move.

• Sweating: Breaking out in a nervous, cold sweat is common among women who are having a heart attack. It will feel more like stress-related sweating than perspiration from exercising or spending time outside in the heat. Get it checked out if you do not typically sweat like that and there is no other reason for it, such as heat or hot flashes.

• Fatigue: Some women who have heart attacks feel extremely tired, even if they have been sitting still for a while or have not moved much. Patients often complain of a tiredness in the chest. They say that they cannot do simple activities, like walk to the bathroom.

Not everyone gets all of those symptoms. If you have chest discomfort, especially if you also have one or more of the other signs, get immediate medical attention.

SOURCE: World Health Organisation