Health

The signs of heart attack are not obvious in women as they are in men. Here's what you need to know

Many heart attacks are not as dramatic as those portrayed on television. In reality, there are some people who present minimal or no symptoms when they are having a heart attack. However, the common symptoms are severe chest pain, shortness of breath, giddiness or breaking out in cold sweat. Not getting to the hospital in time may resulting death.

The signs and symptoms of a heart attack are not as obvious in women as they are in men. Women may experience breathlessness, palpitations, light-headedness or dizziness, anxiety, chest pain, nausea and unusual fatigue, among other signs. Heart attacks with little to no or typical symptoms, especially in the case of diabetics, tend to be more common in women than men.

The early warning signs of a heart attack usually last for at least 20 minutes, during which women may experience one or more symptoms. These include:

1. Pain in the chest. A heart attack usually causes discomfort or pain in the center of the chest, which lasts for more than 20 minutes and is usually accompanied by profuse sweating. The pain may come on suddenly, start slowly, develop over minutes, or come and go. Women tend to have milder chest pains and so may tend to not take this symptoms seriously.

2. Pain spreading. The chest discomfort may spread to the neck and throat, jaw, shoulders, the back, arms, and even to the wrist and hands

3. Discomfort in the upper body. Some people don't get chest pain - only discomfort in parts of the upper body, including back, neck or jaw pain. There may be a feeling of choking in the throat, or the arms may feel 'heavy'

4. Unusual signs. There may be shortness of breath or some difficulty breathing, nausea, or vomiting, a cold sweat, or a feeling of being dizzy or light-headed, or anxious.

5. Extreme tiredness. A study of 515 women published in the journal Circulation found that the most common early warning sign of a heart attack in women is unusual fatigue.

 See a doctor if you experience one or more of such symptoms. If you suspect that you are having a heart attack, get help immediately. ** [rs]