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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Women experiencing a heart attack often have atypical symptoms rather than classic chest pain, so any woman with unusual symptoms, especially with a family history of heart disease, should seek medical help promptly. Common signs include pain in the shoulder, back, or elsewhere, vague discomfort, general ill feeling, shortness of breath, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Women may not have pain at all.
Key Points
- Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US, but women's symptoms often differ from men's.
- Women may feel no chest pain and instead report a vague discomfort or general ill feeling.
- One woman mistook her symptoms for being out of shape, and other women who had heart attacks thought it was acid reflux or the flu.
- One woman described a sudden, breath-stealing sensation after standing from a hot shower, while having no arm, neck, or stomach pain.
- Dr. Lee Burke explained that classic effort-related chest discomfort is more typical for men, and that women may have unusual symptoms.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Any woman with a strong family history of heart disease who has chest pain or an ill feeling should get help right away, even without classic chest pain. Women with unexplained shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, or shoulder, back, or other pain should not dismiss these as fitness problems and should seek care.
- Jolene Woolston drove herself to InstaCare, where her symptoms were not classic, and was rushed to the ER after being told she had a major heart attack.
- Her main artery was blocked and she was treated with a stent and balloon angioplasty, and she has since recovered.
- A free Family Heart Fair for women and families is being held this Saturday at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, offering free heart disease screenings and tests.
Bottom Line
Women's heart attack warning signs can be subtle and easy to mistake for other problems, so unusual symptoms should be taken seriously and checked promptly.
