| †††††Women's Heart Attack Signs December 29, 2003
(NIH) -- A new study-one of the first to look at symptoms before and during heart attacks in women-found that fewer than 30% of women reported chest pain and discomfort prior to a heart attack, and 43% didn't experience chest pain during one. Most doctors consider chest pain the most important heart attack symptom for both men and women, but the women's most frequently reported early warning symptoms were unusual fatigue (70.7%), sleep disturbance (47.8%), and shortness of breath (42.1%). This finding may help women and their doctors more accurately identify the early warning symptoms of a heart attack so that they can better forestall or prevent the attacks.
The current description of "typical" cardiac symptoms is based primarily on the experience of white, middle-aged men. Researchers funded by NIH's National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) set out to find if women have the same symptoms. They asked 515 women who had been diagnosed with a heart attack, called an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), within the previous 4 to 6 months about their symptoms prior to their AMI. The researchers found that 78% of the women had at least one of a number of symptoms (see box) either daily or several times a week for at least one month prior to their heart attack. The two most frequent symptoms, fatigue and sleep disturbances, were most likely to be rated as severe.
Perhaps most surprising is that 43% of the women said they didn't experience any type of chest discomfort with their AMI. A lack of major chest pain may be a major reason why women have more unrecognized heart attacks than men. The women in this study who experienced chest discomfort more often described it as aching, tightness or pressure rather than pain.
It's still not clear at what point these symptoms might help predict a heart attack, but women and their clinicians need to be sensitive to the wide range of symptoms that might signal a woman is having a heart attack. It's important not to miss the earliest possible opportunity to prevent or treat an AMI, the number one cause of death in both men and women. If you are a woman and have severe, unexplained fatigue or any of these symptoms at least several times a week, particularly if you have known risk factors for heart disease (like smoking or high blood pressure), contact a health provider immediately.
Women's Heart Attack Signs
Major symptoms preceding a heart attack in order of reported frequency include:
* Unusual fatigue — 70%
* Sleep disturbance — 48%
* Shortness of breath — 42%
* Indigestion — 39%
* Anxiety — 35%
Major acute symptoms during a heart attack in order of reported frequency include:
* Shortness of breath — 58%
* Weakness — 55%
* Unusual fatigue — 43%
* Cold sweat — 39%
* Dizziness — 39%
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