Heart Attack Symptoms in Women — Are they Different? "Chest pain is still the most common sign of a heart attack for most women, although studies have shown that women are more likely than men to have symptoms other than chest pain or discomfort when experiencing a heart attack or other form of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) … The authors also report that women are more likely than men to experience other forms of cardiac chest pain syndromes, such as unstable angina, and they appear to report a wider range of symptoms associated with ACS. For example, women are more likely to report pain in the middle or upper back, neck, or jaw; shortness of breath; nausea or vomiting; indigestion; loss of appetite; weakness or fatigue; cough; dizziness; and palpitations."

Heart Attack Symptoms: Sex Difference? Symptoms of Heart Attack Don't Always Include Chest Pain -- for Men or Women

Heart Attacks Often Go Unrecognized: Some estimates run as high as 43 percent; women frequently under-diagnosed "On one point all agree: Both women and men need to know the warning signs of a heart attack and to seek immediate help if they suspect one. The worst that can happen if you're wrong? You'll be sent home from the emergency room, secure in the knowledge it was a false alarm."

Heart patients unsure of symptoms

Heartburn or Heart Attack? Know the Symptoms "The most common symptom of coronary heart disease is chest pain (angina) or discomfort, which can also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back. People may mistake this pain for indigestion, which can be dangerous. … Unfortunately, many people may not be aware they are having a heart attack."

Is it heartburn or a heart attack? If there's any question, get help … quickly

Many Men Drive to ER During Heart Attack

More Support for Chest-Compression-Only Resuscitation for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest “Two observational studies published online December 10, 2007 in Circulation concluded that the conventional method of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that calls for mouth-to-mouth assisted ventilation is no more effective than a chest-compression-only approach [1,2]. The findings support a good deal of international research supporting use of the latter method, which is less complicated and may be more appealing to potential bystander rescuers.”

More Than 40 Per Cent of Heart Attacks Go Undiagnosed

New CPR guidelines issued for heart attacks: Heart association says to 'push hard, push fast' during chest compressions

Shortness of Breath May Be Heart Disease

Sudden Cardiac Death Preceded by Warning Signs

Survival Rises When Hospitals Heed All Heart Attack Guidelines

The Claim: You Can Keep Yourself Alive by Coughing During a Heart Attack " … experts say the "cough CPR" claim is largely untrue. It may have started because patients having angiograms are sometimes asked to cough forcefully when they have sudden abnormal heartbeats. Coughing deeply can help a person on the verge of passing out — a sign of cardiac arrest — until treatment can be given. But for someone having a heart attack that does not result in cardiac arrest, coughing can be extremely dangerous. And since most people are not able to tell the difference, coughing during a heart attack is almost always a bad idea, according to the American Heart Association. … THE BOTTOM LINE Coughing during a heart attack can be dangerous."

Younger Women Fail to Heed Heart Attack's Warning Signs "Women under the age of 55 often fail to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack until it's too late, a new study warns. Ignoring those signs -- which can include anything from chest pain to nausea -- can delay medical care and increase risks for disability and even death. … Less typical symptoms included pain in the jaw/shoulder area (experienced by 58 percent of the women); sweating (38 percent); nausea (29 percent); shortness of breath (29 percent); indigestion (21 percent) and weakness/fatigue (8 percent). … Focusing only on chest pain could cost lives, Goldberg warned. Other studies have shown that women often have symptoms other than chest pain."

AHA - Heart Attack Symptoms & Warning Signs

AHA - What are the Warning Signs of Heart Attack?

Are heart attack symptoms in women different than in men? "Symptoms of a heart attack in women may be similar to men (mid chest pain), but may more likely be "atypical" (shortness of breath, sweatiness, arm or jaw pain only, etc). One must remember that either sex may have an "atypical" presentation, but it is more common in women."

Chest pain

Chest Pain Due To Angina And Other Causes

Health Tip: Angina Is Chest Pain "Angina occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood. Angina may feel like pain or discomfort in the chest, including pressure, tightness, indigestion or heartburn. Pain from angina may also be felt in the neck, shoulders, jaw, back and arms. Since angina often is a symptom of coronary artery disease or heart attack, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that you see your doctor any time you have angina."

Health Tip: If Someone Is Having a Heart Attack

Heart Attack

Heart Attack Symptoms and Early Warning Signs "Although chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom of a heart attack, heart attack victims may experience a diversity of symptoms that include: • Pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest • Jaw pain, toothache, headache • Shortness of breath • Nausea, vomiting, and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort • Sweating • Heartburn and/or indigestion • Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm) • Upper back pain • General malaise (vague feeling of illness) • No symptoms (Approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms. Silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus) Even though the symptoms of a heart attack at times can be vague and mild, it is important to remember that heart attacks producing no symptoms or only mild symptoms can be just as serious and life-threatening as heart attacks that cause severe chest pain. … Even if you’re not sure if something is really wrong, you should call 9-1-1 if you experience heart attack symptoms. "

Heart Attack Symptoms and Warning Signs

Heart attack symptoms: Know what signals a medical emergency "Heart attack symptoms vary widely but often include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, or anxiety. See how women's symptoms may be different from men's symptoms. … Getting treatment quickly improves your chance of survival and minimizes damage from a heart attack. Don't "tough out" these symptoms for more than five minutes. Call 911 or other emergency medical services for help. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last resort, if there are absolutely no other options."

Heart Attack: Warning Signs and Tips on Prevention

Heart Attack, Stroke & Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs

Myocardial Infarction

MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Signs And Symptoms

The Patient with Chest Pain

Wrong Diagnosis - Symptoms of Heart attack

A clinical prediction rule for early discharge of patients with chest pain. (Ann Emerg Med. 2006)

A Community Intervention by Firefighters to Increase 911 Calls and Aspirin Use for Chest Pain. (Acad Emerg Med. 2006) "Firefighters delivered a heart attack survival kit (that included an aspirin) and counseled participants on the importance of aspirin and 911 use for chest pain. Main outcome measures were 911 calls for chest pain and aspirin ingestion for a chest pain event…"

A critical pathway for patients with acute chest pain and low risk for short-term adverse cardiac events: role of outpatient stress testing. (Ann Emerg Med. 2006) "CONCLUSION: For patients with chest pain and low risk for short-term cardiac events, outpatient stress testing is feasible, safe, and associated with decreased hospital admission rates. With an evidence-based protocol, physicians efficiently identify patients at low risk for clinically significant coronary artery disease and short-term adverse cardiac outcomes."

A review of symptoms of coronary artery disease in women. (J Adv Nurs. 2002)

[Acute chest pain.] (Med Klin (Munich). 2005)

Acute risk factors for myocardial infarction. (Int J Cardiol. 2006) "External triggers, such as heavy physical activity, emotional stress, eating, cold or heat exposure, coffee or alcohol consumption, cocaine or marijuana use and sexual intercourse are recognized as most important acute risk factors. … Lifestyle modifications, regular physical activity and adequate drug regimens may at least prove able to defer the occurrence of coronary thrombosis, thereby providing time for the development of collateral vessels, plaque stabilization or invasive/surgical treatment."

Ambulatory oesophageal manometry and pH monitoring for investigation of chest pain: a New Zealand experience. (N Z Med J. 2006)

Anxiety disorder in patients with non-specific chest pain in the emergency setting. (Emerg Med J. 2006)

Are there gender differences related to symptoms of acute myocardial infarction? A norwegian perspective. (Prog Cardiovasc Nurs. 2006) "The findings demonstrated that the most commonly reported symptom in both genders was chest pain. More than 90% of women and men experienced chest pain, with no difference between the genders. More women than men had nausea as well as pain located in their arms, back, jaw, and throat. More men than women attributed their symptoms to be cardiac in origin. Experiencing pain in the shoulders, attributing symptoms to be noncardiac, consulting a family member, and contacting several medical practitioners increased prehospital delay."

Chest pain in general practice: incidence, comorbidity and mortality. (Fam Pract. 2006)

[Complications of an unrecognized myocardial infarction] (Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2005)

Diagnosing the Cause of Chest Pain (Am Fam Physician 2005)

Evaluation of noncardiac chest pain: diagnostic approach, coping strategies and quality of life. (Eur J Pain. 2006)

How do we define non-cardiac chest pain? (J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005)

How effective are rapid access chest pain clinics? Prognosis of incident angina and non-cardiac chest pain in 8762 consecutive patients. (Heart. 2006)

How Sudden Is Sudden Cardiac Death? (Circulation 2006) "Typical angina was present for a median of 120 minutes in 25% of the 274 patients with witnessed arrest and in 33% with a symptom duration of less than 1 hour. … 'Our data show that 'sudden cardiac death' is not nearly as sudden in most cases as the term may suggest," and symptoms are present for 'a surprisingly long time in many patients' … "

'It was not chest pain really, I can't explain it!' An exploratory study on the nature of symptoms experienced by women during their myocardial infarction. (J Clin Nurs. 2007)

Manual Chest Compression vs Use of an Automated Chest Compression Device During Resuscitation Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Trial (JAMA 2006) "Conclusions Use of an automated LDB-CPR device as implemented in this study was associated with worse neurological outcomes and a trend toward worse survival than manual CPR."

Risk factors for non-cardiac chest pain in the community. (Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2005)

Symptom presentation and time to seek care in women and men with acute myocardial infarction. (Heart Lung. 2007) "The majority of women and men reported that their symptoms were different from what they expected an AMI would be like. Most stated that their pain was less than expected, whereas some reported either the location of discomfort or associated symptoms as different then expected. There was no gender difference in time to seek care."

[Symptoms, risk factors, and etiology of transient ischemic attack and stroke.] (Nervenarzt. 2005)

The influence of age on acute myocardial infarction symptoms and patient delay in seeking treatment. (Prog Cardiovasc Nurs. 2006) "Older patients were significantly less likely to report classic pain in the center of the chest and other associated symptoms such as sweating and nausea; they also used fewer words to describe their discomfort compared with younger patients. Independent predictors of longer delay were: contacted physician, lacked similarity between experienced and expected symptoms, did not use 911 (older adults), lived alone, and contacted physician (younger adults). Primary care providers need to be aware that elderly persons are more likely to have mild or ambiguous acute myocardial infarction symptoms and education is needed for elderly persons regarding not only acute myocardial infarction symptoms but also rapid, action-centered decisions to attribute symptoms to heart problems and initiate ambulance use."

Thunderclap headache as the presenting symptom of myocardial infarction. (Headache. 2007)

Treatment of noncardiac chest pain of psychological origin. (Curr Treat Options Gastroenterol. 2006)

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack (Circulation. 2001)

Women's Early Warning Symptoms of Acute Myocardial Infarction (Circulation. 2003)