Alison,
Women can definitely experience different symptoms during a heart attack - fatigue, chest discomfort (not always pain), shoulder blade discomfort, neck or jaw discomfort, and shortness of breath. The cause of a heart attack is also different in women - small vessel disease, slow blood flow, blood vessel spasms - are more common causes in women. But the "triggers" of a heart attack which are the "5 E's" are similar in men and women. Stress/extreme emotions may play a more prominent role in women. Women actually can develop something called "The Broken Heart Syndrome" - an acute stressful/emotional event can cause temporary heart muscle damage, if treated quickly it is reversible. So the "5 E's" are actually applicable to both women and men.
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Alison,
December 29, 2009 - 4:34pmWomen can definitely experience different symptoms during a heart attack - fatigue, chest discomfort (not always pain), shoulder blade discomfort, neck or jaw discomfort, and shortness of breath. The cause of a heart attack is also different in women - small vessel disease, slow blood flow, blood vessel spasms - are more common causes in women. But the "triggers" of a heart attack which are the "5 E's" are similar in men and women. Stress/extreme emotions may play a more prominent role in women. Women actually can develop something called "The Broken Heart Syndrome" - an acute stressful/emotional event can cause temporary heart muscle damage, if treated quickly it is reversible. So the "5 E's" are actually applicable to both women and men.
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