Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

Heart attacks are often viewed as a man's problem when, in fact, more women in the United States die of heart disease each year than men. Women often experience signs and symptoms that are different from those that men experience. This is because smaller arteries may be blocked in women whereas men often have blockage in the main arteries.

Heart attack signs in women sometimes go unnoticed. They include the following:

• Pressure, fullness, squeezing pain in the center of the chest, spreading to the neck, shoulder or jaw
• Light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
• Upper abdominal pressure or discomfort
• Lower chest discomfort
• Back pain
• Unusual fatigue
• Unusual shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Nausea

Don't delay! Don't take chances! If you have chest pain or other heart attack symptoms, call 911 and seek medical attention immediately.

Source: Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care