A heart attack occurs in the case of a severe reduction or a complete blockage of the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle.
The main cause is the slow narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart with blood due to a buildup of plaque. Studies have shown that 43.8 million women are currently suffering from some kind of heart disease.
Women are more prone t heart diseases than men, and they have the highest risk of death due to a heart attack than all cancer types combined.
Yet, heart attacks are more commonly associated with men, so this contributes to an increase of the risks as women do not regard a heart attack as a possible culprit when it occurs.
The most common symptoms of heart attacks are more subtle in women, and they might even associate them to something less serious, like the flu, for instance.
Therefore, it is important to know these warning signs of a heart attack in women:
- Pain in Areas Other Than the Chest
In most cases, the pain occurs in areas other than the chest, like in the arm, back, or the jaw.
- Chest Pressure
Even though this pressure is not as intense as in men, women often experience an uncomfortable squeezing, pressure, fullness of pain in the center of your chest for a few minutes. Women depict it as an upper back pressure similar to squeezing or a rope being tied around them.
- Sweating and Shortness of Breath
If you experience a break out in a cold sweat, which gets aggravated by exercise or is accompanied by chest pain, you should immediately call 911.
- Nausea or Vomiting
These signs are often attributed to issues like a stomach bug, but before a heart attack, women often experience nausea or vomiting.
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