When feeling a burning sensation in the chest, can you tell if you're having heartburn or a heart attack? The signs and symptoms for a heart attack are very different between men and women; more women die from a first heart attack than men because the signs and symptoms can be too easy to ignore.
Nationally recognized menopause specialist Dr. Diana Bitner from Spectrum Health, wraps up Heart Disease Prevention Month by going over the symptoms and risk factors of heart attacks in women, and how to reduce the risk.
Women can have warning signs, and but think it is anything but a heart attack. When mean suffer a heart attack or a heart disease, they will feel a crushing pain in their chest. However women have symptoms similar to those of heartburn, asthma, tight muscles, or stress, which are:
- Chest tightness or squeezing
- Nausea-unexplained, worse with activity
- Fatigue-especially if worse over time
- Left arm ache or pain
- Cold sweat, sweats, or unexplained dizziness
- Shortness of breath with exercise
Since women have a harder time determining if they're having a heart attack, it's important to know the risk factors. Women have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack if they have:
- Menopause for more than five years
- Obesity or overweight
- Diabetes
- Family history, especially if women or men younger than 60 at diagnosis
- High blood pressure
- Waist circumference larger than 35 inches
- High blood sugar
- Smoking cigarettes and being inactive
- High cholesterol
If you find yourself suffering from any of these symptoms, go to the emergency room or call 911. Don't wait to see if it will go away on it's own, especially if you're a women at high risk, the time spent could save your life.
Dr. Bitner's office is located at 3800 Lake Michigan Drive Northwest, Suite A. To schedule an appointment with her, call (616)-267-8225.
All information was provided by Dr. Diana Bitner, her blog. Read more.
