Don't expect to feel the classic symptoms attributed to male heart attack victims: chest pain, pressure, tightness, squeezing, burning or heaviness. Debra R. Judelson, M.D., director of the Women's Heart Institute (www.womensheartinstitute.com), says although women may experience these classic signals, they are more likely to complain of shortness of breath. If they feel pain, it may be in the abdomen (as opposed to the chest,) in the back or even in the jaw or throat. Many times, they simply feel bad but are not sure why. Women experience heart attacks differently than men because they tend to experience them at an older age, have diabetes and hypertension and are more likely to be smokers.
Not only are a woman's symptoms different from a man's, so too is her response to them, Judelson says. Because women do not generally believe they are susceptible to heart attacks, they will frequently ignore signs of illness, thinking nothing is really wrong. Women come to a hospital with a heart attack up to one hour later than a man. When arriving in the emergency room, they are less likely than men to complain of cardiac symptoms and more likely to attribute their symptoms to something else. This delays and seriously lessens their likelihood of getting appropriate emergency care.
That's why if you feel that something is wrong, don't ignore your gut instinct. Seek help as soon as possible instead of waiting to be certain you are really ill.
The good news is that when you do receive prompt treatment, as a woman you are likely to respond better to treatment for heart disease than men.
