Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Andrew Freeman, MD, heart expert at National Jewish Health explains why women need to take common heart attack symptoms seriously and know what factors increase your risk of heart disease.

Transcript

These days the number one killer of men and women is heart disease.

So, I and most of my colleagues take everyone seriously when they come in with symptoms of angina or chest pain from your heart.

The key concept to remember is that angina or chest pain may not also manifest as chest pain.

For example, sometimes women will have jaw pain that comes on with activity and goes away with rest.

Some people get short of breath.

Some people get belly pain when they are working hard and it resolves.

So, it’s important to realize that any pain or discomfort above the waist with activity that resolves with rest, can be angina, especially in the right situation.

And, in women, the old concept of someone coming in and clutching their chest is often not at all how it presents, and we have to be vigilant about these, especially in people with risk factors like a family history or high blood pressure, high cholesterol or even a previous heart attack.