Heart problems are common for both men and women but it is a fact that more women die out of heart disease each year than men. It is essential for every woman to know and identify the symptoms to prevent life threatening complications. Women can also reduce the risk of getting an attack if they know the warning signals. Not all the people who develop heart attack would get excruciating pain in their chest. There are incidences of many women having a heart attack without chest pain.
Signs and Symptoms :
The intensity of chest pain may vary from one person to another. It can range from mild pain to excruciating stabbing pain on the chest depending on the cause. Women are likely to have other symptoms during an attack without chest pain. There can be pain in the neck, shoulder and right arm. It can cause discomfort and uneasy feeling in the abdomen. She may feel dizzy and lightheaded and this may be accompanied with nausea and vomiting. It can cause profuse sweating and shortness of breath.
Most of the women with an attack reported to have tightness in their chest with extra pressure. They tend to have blockages in many small arteries other than the major artery. Also the above symptoms can occur even while she is resting or asleep. Heart attack may develop due to emotional stress also. Women have a tendency to downplay their symptoms and often they ignore the warning signals attributing it to other causes. It is not wise to enter the emergency room after your heart has been totally damaged.
Causes of Chest Pain :
Not all the chest pain is due to heart attack. Only 15-20% of the cases admitted in emergency room with chest pain are diagnosed with heart attack. There are many factors that can induce sudden chest pain. Heart related chest pain can occur due to angina (block in the major blood vessel), heart attack, inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart, swelling of heart muscles and heart muscle disorders.