When a heart attack comes, what women feel is not always the same as what men feel.
Women don't always get the same classic symptoms as men, such as chest pain that goes down to one arm. Symptoms of a heart attack like this can certainly occur in women, but many also experience vague symptoms or even "quietly" so they might be missed.
Six symptoms of a heart attack often occur in women:
Chest or chest pain feels bad
Chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack, but some women may experience it differently from men. Your chest may feel like fullness or squeezing, and pain can occur anywhere; not just on the left side. When a heart attack occurs, your chest usually feels "really uncomfortable," said cardiologist Rita Redberg, MD, Director of Women's Cardiovascular Services at the University of California, San Francisco. "It feels like someone is tying your chest with something very tight."
Pain in the arms, back, neck or jaw
This type of pain is more common in women than men. This may confuse women who think pain during a heart attack will focus on the chest and left arm, not the back or jaw.
The pain can occur gradually or suddenly, and may slowly disappear before suddenly becoming intense. If you are sleeping, this attack can wake you up. You should report any unusual or unexplained symptoms, which occur in any part of your body that is above the waist, with a doctor or other health care provider, said cardiologist C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of Barbra Streisand Women Heart Center at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Stomach ache
Sometimes people think stomach pain is a sign of stomach ulcers, flu, or stomach ulcers. In fact, in some cases of a heart attack, women experience severe abdominal pressure that feels like an elephant sitting on your stomach, said cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director Joan H. Tisch Center for Women 's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
Shortness of breath, nausea, or dizziness
If you experience difficulty breathing for no apparent reason, you can experience a heart attack, especially if you also have one or more other symptoms. "It feels similar to if you just finished running a marathon, even though you didn't move at all," Goldberg said.
Cold sweat
Cold sweating is common among women who have a heart attack. It will feel more like sweating due to stress than perspiration from exercising or because you spend time outside in the hot air. "Check yourself if you don't usually sweat like that and if you sweat cold for no apparent reason like hot weather," Bairey Merz said.
Fatigue
Some women who experience a heart attack feel very tired, even if they have been sitting quietly for a while or not moving much.
"Patients often complain of fatigue in the chest," Goldberg said. "They claim that they cannot do activities as easily as walking to the bathroom."
Not everyone gets all of these symptoms. If you feel pressure on the chest, especially if you also experience one or more of the other signs, immediately see a doctor.
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