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Women’s Health: How To Identify Heart Attack Symptoms in Women‏

  
Womens Health How To Identify Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

WARNING: symptoms of a heart attack are different in women to the commonly known symptoms suffered by men. Here are the key things to look out for.



Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, who often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.

According to the American Heart Association “a heart attack strikes someone about every 34 seconds. It occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. This happens because the arteries that supply the heart with blood can slowly narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances (plaque)”.

Most people are aware of the main warning signs of a potential heart attack in men, but are unaware that symptoms may present themselves differently in women.
Men most commonly experience an excruciating pain in their chest when struck with a heart attack. However often women experience more vague and deadly silent symptoms that can often be failed to be recognized as danger signs, which can then lead to a delay in vital treatment. We should all know the following most common signs of a heart attack in women.

1. SHORTNESS OF BREATH
Shortness of breath is one of the first signs of a heart attack, especially if combined with any of the other signs below. You may suddenly feel like you’re out of breath for no obvious reason. This feeling is described as being similar to the gasping sensation you experience when you have just run up the stairs.

2. EXTREME FATIGUE
Some women who have heart attacks feel extremely tired, even if they’ve been sitting still for a while or haven’t moved much. Even getting up and going to the bathroom can seem too much effort. An extreme and sudden drop in levels of energy can be a symptom of the onset of a heart attack.



3. PROFUSE SWEATING
Breaking out in a nervous, cold sweat is a common sign among women who are having a heart attack. It is more like the sensation of stress-related sweating than perspiration from exercising or simply being outside in the heat. If you don’t usually sweat like that and there is no other reason for it, seek medical attention. Do not confuse with a hot flash, pay attention if this is combined with any of these other warning signs.

4. STOMACH PAIN
Sometimes people mis-diagnose the stomach pain that signals a heart attack confusing with heartburn, the flu, or even a stomach ulcer. Some women report experiencing severe abdominal pressure. Cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, says that the pain “feels like an elephant sitting on your stomach”.

5. UPPER BODY PAIN

Unexplained pain in your upper arm(s), back, neck, or jaw should not be ignored. This type of pain is more common in women than in men. The pain can be either gradual or quite sudden, and it may come and go before becoming more intense. If you’re asleep, it could even cause you to wake you up. You should report any unusual or unexplained symptoms in any part of your body above your waist to your doctor.

6. CHEST PAIN OR DISCOMFORT
Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom, but it is often experienced differently in some women than in men. It can feel like a squeezing or fullness, and the pain can be anywhere in the chest, not just on the left side.

Of course not everyone will get all of these symptoms. If you experience chest discomfort, especially if you also have one or more of the other signs, call 911 immediately.

SOURCE
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Heart-Attack-Symptoms-in-Women_UCM_436448_Article.jsp

PLEASE SHARE WITH EVERY WOMAN IN YOUR LIFE – THIS IS THE NUMBER 1 KILLER OF WOMEN