Women Heart Attack.
A young woman presents to the ED complaining of chest discomfort, shortness of breath, diaphoretic and pain radiating down her left arm. She is not treated for a possible heart attack but is told her symptoms may be anxiety-related and is dismissed to await further investigation. Many hours later she has a heart attack. Experts say this may seem shocking but it is actually a long-standing disparity in the treatment and diagnosis of heart disease that persists and continues to put women's lives at risk.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) women younger than 55 years old in the USA are more likely to leave the ED without enough cardiac testing than men. This discrepancy may be attributed to a number of factors such as 'historical neglect' of women in cardiovascular research, diverse presentation of cardiovascular symptoms and ageing medical assumptions.
Multiple observational studies one of the primary reasons why women relatively get sent home is because their symptoms are often overlooked as something less serious like anxiety, stress, acid reflux or muscle pain. Although chest pain is the most frequent symptom of a heart attack in both men and women there are females who are more likely to have other symptoms that make diagnosis difficult.
Another NIH study showed that over 90 per cent of women and men have chest pain during a heart attack. Women are also more likely to experience a shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, unusual fatigue, jaw pain, pain between the shoulder blades and palpitations. The symptoms are so common and widespread that they are still referred to as "atypical."
Cardiologists say the term "atypical" could be helping to further delay the diagnosis. Women often have atypical symptoms making a diagnosis of cardiac event easier to miss. Stephen Nicholls, MD, PhD, who works at the University of Adelaide, told ScienceAlert that there still seems to be a common myth that heart disease is a "man's disease." Recognising that women may have other symptoms, he said chest pain is the major indicator and health care providers need to take this into account.
Other experts also note that most studies devised for heart disease guidelines have been conducted on a mostly male population. Consequently the traditional definition of a heart attack has been focused on symptoms of men and women have less been the focus of heart attack risk assessment despite having their own risk factors like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and pregnancy-related complications and menopause. This is a gender difference that is sometimes known as Yentl syndrome referring to the fact that women tend to be treated only like men when they have the "masculine" symptoms.
If women experience the following conditions they should seek immediate medical attention:
Experts say it's best to listen to your gut feeling advising if these symptoms are persistent or unexplained then a medical evaluation should be done promptly. Women heart attacks don't always follow the classic symptoms and being aware of this may save lives and reduce missed diagnoses.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek immediate emergency care if you experience symptoms of a heart attack.
