![]() ![]() Lee has seen both younger and older women put off going to the doctor - even when they’re feeling heart attack symptoms. Describe your symptoms and let the 911 operator know you may be having a heart attack. But if you’re having any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. You might not have all of these heart attack warning signs. Your regular activities suddenly become too difficult because you’re extremely tired. You may feel overly tired for no reason - and the fatigue comes out of nowhere. Similarly, chest pain with sudden fatigue may be a sign that you’re having a heart attack. You may break out in a cold sweat or feel clammy while also feeling some chest pain. Sudden sweating plus chest pain is another related heart attack symptom for women. “For example, if you can normally do grocery shopping with no problem, but suddenly you can’t catch your breath while you’re walking down the grocery aisle and you have to stop to rest, that’s a warning sign,” says Dr. It may feel like you have to stop and catch your breath while doing an everyday task. You might be having a heart attack if you suddenly have shortness of breath for no apparent reason. And acid reflux feels worse when you lie down. “Generally speaking, heartburn can be triggered by certain spicy food, citrus, and alcohol,” she explains. This can make it hard to tell if it’s discomfort from eating certain foods or a heart attack. Heartburn or reflux comes from inflammation in the esophagus - the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach - which is right next to the heart. “Sometimes people come in late for care because they think they’re having heartburn or acid reflux,” says Dr. Nausea and stomach pain may also be heart attack warning signs for women. This is especially true because it may be difficult to pinpoint where the pain started. Since most people expect pain to be in their chest during a heart attack, these symptoms can be very confusing. The pain may gradually get more intense over several minutes. “Sometimes chest pain can shoot or travel through your arm, neck, jaw, or your back,” says Dr. “People generally use terms like ‘pressure,’ ‘squeezing,’ ‘heaviness,’ or ‘tightness’ to describe the sensation in their chest.” Arm, back, neck, or jaw pain “Typically, the pain feels very deep and it’s hard to localize or pinpoint,” says Dr. The pain is usually strong, comes on gradually, and increases in intensity over several minutes. This chest pain and discomfort usually happens after stress - the stress can either be physical, like exercise, or emotional stress. “About 90% of women and men have chest pain when they’re having a heart attack,” says Dr. The most common heart attack symptom for women (and men) is chest pain. Heart attack warning signs for women Chest pain So, it’s important to learn these symptoms of a heart attack and know when to seek care. “Several studies have shown that women wait longer to get treatment for a heart attack than men,” says Mingsum Lee, MD, a clinical cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center. 2 This misunderstanding - combined with a wider range of symptoms - can cause women to wait longer to get treated. Women are also more likely than men to think their heart attack symptoms are caused by anxiety and stress. 2 These symptoms may include jaw pain, neck pain, back pain, and shortness of breath, and can make it hard for women to tell if they’re having a heart attack. Researchers found that when women have a heart attack, they’re more likely to experience 3 or more related symptoms compared to men. While both men and women may have chest pain during a heart attack, women tend to also have more symptoms than just chest pain. Plus, the way women experience a heart attack can feel different from men. 1 Yet only about half of women know this. But heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. People often think that heart attacks are something that happen to older men, not women. 6 warning signs of a heart attack in women by Kaiser Permanente | ![]()
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