If your coworker told you she felt exhausted, had odd body
aches and felt slight nausea, would you recognise that she may be experiencing
a heart attack?
We have all seen those movies where a man gasps, clutches
his chest and falls to his knees. While that classic chest pain is more common
in men, women often experience more subtle, ‘silent’ symptoms that can be
harder to recognise.
Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of women across
the world and in the majority of countries, including those that are rich and
all but the poorest. Yet many women do not recognise what is happening because
their symptoms can be less obvious.
So what are common symptoms in women?
Women often describe heart attack pain as pressure or tightness
in the chest, rather than the sharp pains experienced by men.
Medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Centre for Women’s
Health in NYU and cardiologist, Dr Nieca Goldberg, says that often women report
abdominal pressure that feels like an elephant is sitting on your stomach. Other
symptoms may include unusual fatigue, cold sweats and an overwhelming sense of
exhaustion, or as Dr Goldberg says, “it can feel like you have run a marathon,
but you didn’t move.”
Women and men can also feel discomfort in the neck, jaw,
shoulders, upper back, or even the upper stomach. These symptoms can build
gradually, making them easier to dismiss as something less serious.
When should you call for help?
Here is a startling fact: according to a study by Dr Rita f.
Redberg, director of Women’s Cardiovascular Services for the University of California,
women generally wait longer than men before going to the emergency room. It is
understandable: few people would consider sweating and back pains to be
serious, so when do we know when to call for medical assistance?
Well, the key is to acknowledge what feels unusual. If you
have uncomfortable pressure in your chest which lasts for a few minutes, uncomfortable
and irregular discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of
breath, cold sweat and nausea, you should call emergency services immediately.
When it comes to your heart, waiting is a risk you cannot
afford to take.