We’re all familiar with the scene; a male character on TV suddenly throws his palm to his chest, goes red in the face and then collapses to the ground. It’s the sign of a heart attack we’ve seen on screens time and time again, and have learned to look out for in the real world, too. However, as GP and women’s health specialist Dr Nighat Arif (@drnighatarif) explains, heart attacks can look very different to the stereotype we’ve come to expect – especially in women.
In men, there are four main symptoms to look out for: ‘a crushing central chest pain is the first one. The second point is pain that goes down the left arm. The third symptom is breathlessness and then the final one is nausea, sweating and vomiting symptoms,’ says Dr Nighat. ‘However, new research shows women don’t always get those symptoms, which are based mostly on male data. It’s very, very different to what we see in a film where somebody clutches their chest and falls over to the side. You think that’s what a heart attack looks like, but in women, it can be different.’
So, what should women be looking out for? ‘Females often experience more subtle signs. They might get flu-like symptoms, so they feel feverish, intense fatigue or tiredness. They can get breathlessness and experience shoulder blade pain between the shoulders, or jaw pain. They can also feel an ache or pain in both left and right sides,’ she says.
According to the British Heart Foundation, ‘a woman is 50% more likely than a man to receive the wrong initial diagnosis for a heart attack,’ and is ‘less likely to be prescribed medications to help prevent a second heart attack.’
‘So many women are dismissed and sent home,’ says Dr Nighat. ‘The leading cause of death in women worldwide isn’t breast cancer, as many people presume. It’s cardiovascular disease.’
Signs of a potential heart attack in women
Dr Nighat spells out the signs to watch for:
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness of pain in the centre of the chest. Often lasting for a few minutes, then goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath (with or without chest discomfort)
- Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
- Chest pain
Call 999 or seek medical assistance if you experience these symptoms.
The Complete Guide to Family Health: The One-Stop Healthcare Guide No Home Should Be Without by Dr Nighat Arif is out 12 March
Hamlyn The Complete Guide to Family Health
