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Women and heart attacks
BE AWARE of subtler
Jackson Hospital
understands
women’s hearts—
and women’s
heart attacks.
Trust us with
yours.
If your dad said, “It feels like
there’s an elephant sitting on
my chest,” chances are you’d
dial 911 and tell the operator,
“We think it’s a heart attack.”
But what if your mom said,
“I’m totally exhausted, and
I feel sick to my stomach”—
would you consider her
wise to take some stomach-
settling medicine and a nap?
I
Would you know that her nausea
and extreme fatigue could be signs
she’s having a heart attack?
Even though every 90 seconds a
woman in the U.S. has a heart attack,
many people don’t know a woman’s
symptoms can sometimes be differ-
ent and more subtle than a man’s.
And when a woman doesn’t realize
she’s having a heart attack, she may
not get the emergency care she needs
to prevent possibly fatal damage to
her heart.
Know the symptoms
For both men and women, the most
common signs of a heart attack are:
• Pain, pressure, squeezing or dis-
comfort in the chest
• Sudden cold sweats
• Fatigue for no reason
• Sudden dizziness or light-
headedness
• Shortness of breath for no appar-
ent reason
• Nausea or vomiting
Of these, the last three tend to be
more common for women than for
men. Women are actually twice as
likely as men to vomit or be nause-
ated during a heart attack. They
might also:
• Have pain or pressure in the lower
chest, stomach and upper abdomen
• Feel really tired
• Experience sudden dizziness, with
or without fainting
Wynne Crawford, MD, of Mont-
gomery Cardiovascular Associates,
PC, says: “Heart disease is an equal
opportunity disease. Women just
happen to get it about 10 years later
than men.”
More than half of women having a
heart attack report generalized weak-
ness that’s not related to exercising.
For some, extreme breathlessness—
also without exertion—is the only
sign they’re having a heart attack.
According to a survey by the
American Heart Association, many
women would be reluctant to call
for emergency medical help if they
thought they were having a heart
attack. Yet it’s vital to get immediate
help. Treatment is most effective if
given within one hour after symp-
toms start.
So if you or anyone you know has
one or more symptoms of a heart at-
tack,
call 911 right away. Don’t wait
more than five minutes
to get help.
The Joint Commission has
awarded Jackson Hospital with
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