Women & Atypical Symptoms of Heart Disease

Women are more likely than men to die from heart disease. This is because women often have atypical signs of heart disease, which makes it difficult to recognize. As stated in The Women's Healthy Heart Program, written by Nieca Goldberg M.D, (see reference 1), more than 400,000 American women die of heart disease each year. It is also the leading cause of death in women over the age of 35-years old.

Fact

• Chest pain is thought to be a typical sign of heart disease. But according to the US Food and Drug Administration (see reference 2), women might not have chest pain. Women are likely to have back pain near the shoulder blades.

Features

• According to the Cleveland Clinic (see reference 3), women have atypical signs of heart disease more often than men. The most frequently reported symptoms among women are sleep disturbances, anxiety, indigestion, fatigue, upper back pain, and breathing problems. These symptoms are often attributed to problems other than heart disease.

History

• The Women's Healthy Heart Program (see reference 1) states that women have been largely ignored when it comes to heart disease research. It's now known that heart disease is different for women, and that treatment and medication designed for men might affect women differently.

Warning

• It's important that women insist on being checked for heart disease. Doctors are less likely to check for it if the symptoms aren't typical, such as chest pain.

Atypical and Typical Signs

• Typical signs of heart disease include chest pains, faster heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, and heart palpitations. Atypical signs of heart disease include anxiety, upper back pain, sleep disturbances, and indigestion.