Heart attack symptoms in women were reported as different in a 2012 US study, are they?
With Mothering Sunday being a week away I thought it would be useful to revisit heart this study on attack symptoms in women. One of the key medical emergencies I cover when training is ‘heart attack’ – what it is, what the symptoms are and what to do. I’ve also written other blogs about it. A question I’m asked is “do women have different symptoms?” A study published in 2012 highlighted the differing presentations.
The study that was undertaken in the US found that 42% of women under the age of 55, compared to 30% of men, didn’t experience chest pain when having a heart attack. They found they were more likely to experience other common symptoms such as nausea, shortness of breath, fainting, fatigue and pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen. The difference in the incidence of chest pain had reduced to 3% by the age of 75.
These differing symptoms can lead to an increase in delay in seeking medical attention and therefore delays in treatment.
So the short answer from this study is that women may present differently, however, so can other particular groups.
So what can we do?
The first thing is to be aware that not all people experience chest pain when having a heart attack. This can be women but also some men, diabetics and the elderly may not have chest pain as their main symptom. Therefore we need to be aware of the range of symptoms that they may have:-
- Chest discomfort – such as squeezing, fullness, heaviness or aching
- Pain in one or both arms, the neck/jaw, stomach or back
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea/vomiting
- Fainting/light-headedness
- Pale and clammy (cold sweat)
- Pain at the bottom of ribs or top of abdomen
What do we do now?
If you think you or someone else is having a heart attack then it’s important to seek urgent medical attention. Call an ambulance on 999 or 112. Aspirin is beneficial when having a heart attack and the paramedics will give them an aspirin when they arrive, if there are no contra-indications.
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