Whenever we talk about the symptoms of heart disease, it’s mainly chest pain that we think about. True, chest pain is an obvious sign. However, signs of a heart attack are different in women than men. Lack of activity, an unhealthy lifestyle, eating too much junk food or food high in calories, family history, and stress are the main contributing factors affecting women’s heart health.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction- MI) occurs due to a disruption in the blood flow to the ticker. As the symptoms differ between men and women, knowing the female-specific symptoms of MI could help a person seek medical attention sooner, which may save their life. Women often ignore symptoms of a possible heart attack, it can largely be attributed to their lack of knowledge in both about heart disease and in understanding the symptoms. Also, we cannot take away from the fact that women are more likely than men to experience a “silent” heart attack or exhibit unusual symptoms.
Learn about some of the signs
of heart disease in women:
Light-headedness- This is a
very common heart disease sign that is more obvious in women than in men. It’s
true that a sudden dip in blood pressure can cause nausea and dizziness,
however, this could also happen because of the heart not functioning properly.
So it’s best to not overlook if you are feeling light-headed.
Exhaustion- Have you
lately been feeling extra tired even in carrying out regular chores like taking
the stairs, walking a short distance, etc. (which wasn’t the case earlier)! You
are most likely suffering from heart disease. The sign of unexplained
exhaustion is more commonly seen in women than men. Get yourself checked out if
you are facing problems in carrying out certain activities that you could
easily do earlier.
Indigestion- Women are
more likely to suffer from indigestion or gas-like ache as a sign of heart
attack, since the nerves of the stomach and the heart are closely connected. So
don’t overlook this pain. Get a consult with your doctor if you are suspicious.
Chest Pain- This is
one of the telling signs that someone is suffering a heart attack. One might
feel heaviness, tightness or feel it as a sense of impending doom.
Pain in arms and jaw- Many women
who’ve experienced the life-threatening MI have complained of suffering from
pain radiating towards the arms and the jaw, or pain between the shoulder
blades. So beware.
Sweating- All of a sudden if you break
into sweat without any reason, dial 911 right away as you could be suffering from
heart disease.
Shortness of breath- Shortness
of breath, even without any exertion, is a solid clue pointing towards you
having heart disease. Some women even break into a sweat when suffering a MI,
without their being any apparent reason for the sweat.
Heart disease is said to be
more life-threatening in women than men as women are less likely to consult a
doctor or get their symptoms checked. Not to mention, they might hardly pay
heed to getting tests done. Watch out for causes that may affect the health of
your ticker. Early detection is key to earlier control of the situation and
therefore, less damage to the heart muscles.
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