CenterPost > Cardiac > Listen To Your Heart... It's Not Like A Man's Heart

For the past few weeks, you've felt too tired to even think, but still can't fall asleep. One day, you climb the stairs and suddenly you can't catch your breath. "Am I coming down with something?" you wonder. The fact is, you may be having a heart attack.

That's the way a heart attack strikes some women. These are not necessarily your father's, husband's or brother's symptoms. There is no searing pain across the chest and up the arm. There is no intense pressure in the chest area.

For many women, the symptoms of a heart attack are more subtle and less predictable than a man's. In one study by the National Institutes of Health, less than a third of the female heart attack victims reported chest pain prior to their heart attacks, and nearly half said they felt no chest pain during the attack. What they felt was shortness of breath, indigestion, fatigue, intense anxiety, cold sweat and dizziness.

Because many women don't expect to have a heart attack, they are more likely to brush off these symptoms and delay getting medical help. Yet a woman is 11 times more likely to die from a heart attack than from breast cancer.

Trouble sleeping? Unusual fatigue? See a doctor

Tell your doctor if you have trouble sleeping or experience shortness of breath, unusual fatigue or anxiety. Don't ignore the feeling that something "just isn't right." Women experience some symptoms as long as a month before a heart attack. And don't be embarrassed if it is a false alarm. That's far better than ignoring symptoms and failing to seek help in time to save your life.

"It is important for women to recognize their risk for coronary heart disease," says Nainesh Patel, MD, of Pottstown Medical Specialists. According to Dr. Patel, traditional risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, family history, age and diabetes. Diabetes is especially dangerous, because heart attacks in diabetics - especially women - frequently present with few or no symptoms, and diagnosis may be delayed or missed entirely. But early diagnosis means early treatment and improved outcome. "Time is muscle," says Dr. Patel.

Don't wait. Take care of your heart now.

"Risk factor management is key in preventing coronary disease," says N. Zel Rothstein, MD, PMA Medical Specialists. "Tobacco exposure is the single most important risk factor for coronary artery disease for both females and males. Lowering cholesterol and controlling both diabetes and hypertension are very important as well." "Any chest burning, heaviness or tightness that is provoked by exertion or emotional stress should be reported," he adds. "A drop in exercise tolerance requires evaluation as well." If you are at risk or have signs of heart disease, cardiologists at PMMC will help make sure you understand your condition and work with you to develop a treatment plan. If you need to make lifestyle changes to prevent heart disease or if you need treatment, PMMC cardiac specialists will partner with you to safeguard the health of your heart. Visit the PMMC website, www.pottstownmemorial.com, and go to the Discovery Hospital link for more information on heart disease.

A woman's heart attack may not feel like a man's

For some women, symptoms include:

Shortness of breath
Unusual fatigue
Nausea, indigestion
Vomiting

Some women do experience classic male symptoms of chest pain or discomfort in the jaw or arm.

Is your heart healthy? These cardiac tests are available at PMMC's cardiac health center: * Cardiac catheterization * Non-invasive nuclear testing * Stress tests * Color-flow echocardiography * 24-hour monitoring