Women Dont Always Experience Chest Pains During Heart Attack

According to a recent survey, ! percent o" women said they were aware that heart disease was their genders leading cause o" death, yet #ust $ percent counted it as their top personal health concern% &n "act, the ma#ority o" women still cite 'reast cancer as their num'er one concern ( even though heart disease kills "ive times the num'er o" women as 'reast cancer% Cardiovascular disease kills almost a hal")million women in the *nited +tates each year% ,hat "igure exceeds the next seven causes o" death "or women com'ined% A patient o" mine, Dinah, had lost her hus'and to a heart attack% -ne night, when they were getting ready to go out to dinner, his "ace turned pale% He clutched his chest and "ell to the "loor% He died 'e"ore the am'ulance arrived% .ears later, Dinah was playing tennis when she noticed that she was 'ecoming uncharacteristically tired% /&m pro'a'ly #ust getting old,0 she said to hersel"% 1ut her "atigue persisted, and one night she "elt like she was coming down with the "lu% +he was hot, sweaty, and nauseous% +he even threw up% Dinah decided to lay down, 'ut couldnt get com"orta'le so she paced her porch until she "inally got sleepy% ,he next morning when she got out o" 'ed, she "ainted% When Dinah regained consciousness hours later, she was in the emergency room% +he had su""ered a heart attack% /& never dreamed & could 'e having a heart attack,0 she told me% /& didnt reali2e that women could get heart attacks% 1ut even i" & had, & wouldnt have thought it was happening 'ecause & didnt have any chest pain%0 ,o most people, chest pain is the most o'vious sign o" a heart attack% However, though it does sometimes occur, chest pain is less likely to happen in women% &n "act, according to a new study reported in 3A4A &nternal 4edicine, one out o" "ive women age or younger do not experience chest pain as a symptom o" heart attack% ,his "inding has serious implications "or emergency room pro"essionals as well as women at risk o" a heart attack% &t is very telling that when & was in medical school, we were taught that chest pain and pressure were the /typical0 warning signs o" heart attack, and that other symptoms were called /atypical%0 Well, it turns out that i" youre a woman, these heart attack symptoms are not /atypical0 at all ( in "act, they are very typical% ,hank you "or reading todays Hearth Health 'log% ,o your heart health, Dr% Chauncey Crandall +ource5 http566chaunceycrandall%com678!76women)dont)always)experience)chest)pains)during) heart)attack6