Yes, it's actually true that women can experience different symptoms. I watched an episode of Oprah about this very thing. They interviewed women who had had heart attacks, some of whom only suffered back pain, nausea and extreme fatigue. The fact that women don't necessarily feel chest pain is one of the reasons they get sent home without having an EKG.
And in fact, a woman watching that episode of Oprah recognized her own symptoms, went to the ER soon after, and also was told it wasn't a heart attack. She didn't leave until she'd had an EKG, and it proved she was correct.
Here is an article in which Oprah's Dr. Mehmet Oz talks about how men and women have different symptoms:
The National Institutes for Health emphasize that women may have different symptoms than we've all been taught to expect from "the movie heart attack" (I love that term too):
Their study followed up on 515 women who had had heart attacks. Some of the findings:
-- 95 percent said they'd experienced some symptoms for up to a month
-- most common symptoms: unusual fatigue (70 percent), sleep disturbance (48 percent), and shortness of breath (42 percent).
-- less than 30% reported chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43% reported have no chest pain during any phase of the attack.
In addition to calling 911 if you think you are having a heart attack, the recommendation is to crush or chew a full-strength aspirin and take it with a glass of water. It helps prevent further clotting and can make a big difference in the following hours.
The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has a great page titled "Are You Having A Heart Attack?" that's worth reading and then printing out and putting in a kitchen drawer or another place where you can find it later for reference:
Their recommendations:
1. Call 911
2. Chew an aspirin with some water
3. Ask for an EKG and/or blood enzyme test at the hospital if they're ready to send you home without one.
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Michelle,
Yes, it's actually true that women can experience different symptoms. I watched an episode of Oprah about this very thing. They interviewed women who had had heart attacks, some of whom only suffered back pain, nausea and extreme fatigue. The fact that women don't necessarily feel chest pain is one of the reasons they get sent home without having an EKG.
And in fact, a woman watching that episode of Oprah recognized her own symptoms, went to the ER soon after, and also was told it wasn't a heart attack. She didn't leave until she'd had an EKG, and it proved she was correct.
Here is an article in which Oprah's Dr. Mehmet Oz talks about how men and women have different symptoms:
http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=20081008_heart_attacks_women_dr_oz_oprah_winfrey_show.htm
And here's one patient who credit's Dr. Oz's information with saving her life:
http://www.oprah.com/article/health/20090423-tows-best-dr-oz/12
The National Institutes for Health emphasize that women may have different symptoms than we've all been taught to expect from "the movie heart attack" (I love that term too):
http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/womensami.htm
Their study followed up on 515 women who had had heart attacks. Some of the findings:
-- 95 percent said they'd experienced some symptoms for up to a month
-- most common symptoms: unusual fatigue (70 percent), sleep disturbance (48 percent), and shortness of breath (42 percent).
-- less than 30% reported chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43% reported have no chest pain during any phase of the attack.
In addition to calling 911 if you think you are having a heart attack, the recommendation is to crush or chew a full-strength aspirin and take it with a glass of water. It helps prevent further clotting and can make a big difference in the following hours.
The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has a great page titled "Are You Having A Heart Attack?" that's worth reading and then printing out and putting in a kitchen drawer or another place where you can find it later for reference:
http://www.womenheart.org/supportForWomen/prevention/questionHeartAttack.cfm
Their recommendations:
June 16, 2009 - 9:10am1. Call 911
2. Chew an aspirin with some water
3. Ask for an EKG and/or blood enzyme test at the hospital if they're ready to send you home without one.
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