RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF HEART
ATTACK IN WOMEN
Many people are familiar with
the image of a heart attack sufferer
clutching his or her chest or feeling
surprising, tingling sensations in
his or her left arm. While those symptoms
are common, heart attacks can
produce a wide array of symptoms,
and some of them may actually be
much less apparent than chest pain
or tingling in the left arm. That’s especially
so for women.
The organization Go Red for
Women, which highlights women’s
heart health during the month of
February, advises that many symptoms
women can experience when
suffering from heart disease may
be overlooked or misunderstood as
signs of less threatening conditions.
However, jaw pain, nausea, pressure,
and sweating all may be indicative of
a heart attack. A failure to recognize
that and act quickly could prove fatal.
The American Heart Association
says that heart disease is the foremost
killer of women in the United
States. The Heart and Stroke Foundation
says heart disease and stroke
kill 31,000 women in Canada annually.
Despite those fi gures, many
women are unaware of the threat of
heart disease and its symptoms.
Heart attack occurs when blood
fl ow to the heart is blocked by a
buildup of a substance called plaque
in the coronary arteries. Heart attack
can strike any woman, though
women who deal with high stress,
are overweight or are heavy smokers
are at the greatest risk.
SYMPTOMS OF HEART ATTACK
Symptoms of heart attack in
women generally are more subtle
than in men. These can include but
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,42 FEBRUARY 7-13, 2020 BTR
are not limited to:
• shortness of breath as though you
just ran a marathon
• a feeling of a squeezing rope tied
around the upper back
• dizziness
• lightheadedness or actual fainting
• unusual fatigue
• neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or
abdominal discomfort
• indigestion
• perspiration
How heart attacks are different for
women
Women tend to have blockages not
only in their main arteries, but in the
smaller ones that supply blood to the
heart,. This is a condition called coronary
microvascular disease, says the
Mayo Clinic, and it may be why symptoms
are more vague and not as apparent
in women as they are in men.
Women also can have symptoms
while resting or even when asleep,
and emotional stress can trigger
heart attack symptoms in women.
A woman’s risk for heart disease
increases if she has diabetes, has experienced
mental stress or depression,
smokes, has gone through menopause,
has had complications during
a pregnancy, has an infl ammatory
disease, and/or is physically inactive.
Women of all ages should take
heart disease seriously and schedule
a check-up with a doctor to discuss
risk and heart health. Women
who suspect or notice any symptoms
of heart attack should not hesitate to
call for help. If you suspect you are
having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately;
do not drive yourself.
Women can learn more about heart
disease at www.heart.org.
/www.heart.org
/www.heart.org