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Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet most of us don’t think we are at risk for a heart attack. Do you know how our symptoms may differ from that of a man?

Long considered a man’s disease, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. While breast cancer kills about 44,000 women a year, the American Heart Association (AHA) reports that in 2004 alone 500,000 women died of cardiovascular disease. The AHA estimates that one out of every two women will die of either heart disease or stroke. Yet, there is a common myth that women don’t get heart disease! Most research studies have been done on men, although this area is slowly changing. Results stemming from research done on men cannot be assumed to hold true for women as well.

Heart disease is different for women than for men. While men are more likely to get a sudden heart attack in their 40’s or 50’s, heart disease tends to develop more slowly in women, striking us in our 60’s or 70’s. When a man complains of chest pains he will likely undergo a battery of diagnostic tests. When a woman presents with the same symptoms, she is often told to go home: she is just anxious. When noninvasive tests show signs of coronary artery disease, a woman is less likely to be referred for procedures such as angioplasty or bypass surgery. Since women think they are not particularly at risk for a heart attack, they may well deny what they are feeling, convinced that it is indigestion. But the statistics are clear: heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. Women need to know their risk of heart disease, get to a hospital if they might be having a heart attack and demand appropriate treatment.

Classic signs of a heart attack

Some women do experience the same classic signs of a heart attack as a man:

• Crushing, squeezing pain below the breastbone with possible radiating pain into the left shoulder and arm.
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
Non-traditional symptoms
• Back pain
• Jaw pain
• Pain radiating down the right arm

Some women describe their only symptom as just not feeling right. Diabetic women may only experience the sweating and shortness of breath. Smokers in particular may not experience any pain at all. Nicotine has been shown to alter pain perception. Despite the absence of pain, the damage to the heart still takes place. Since the pain of a heart attack is often what motivates the victim to seek medical help, a silent heart attack often means the delay of treatment.

Get help right away

Studies have shown that the sooner medical intervention is given, the less permanent damage is sustained by the heart muscle. Clotbusting drugs such as streptokinase and t-PA, when administered within 30 minutes of the onset of a heart attack can prevent damage to the heart. The more time elapses, the more potential harm is done to the heart muscle.