Symptoms: The ABC's of Women's Heart Disease

Heart disease symptoms are different for women than men. They are subtler in nature, and sometimes hard to identify. For example, unlike men, it is rare for women to experience crushing chest pain.

Rather, women describe a fullness or discomfort in the chest, isolated discomfort in the jaw, or pain in the left or right arm, or abdomen. Typically, women also experience difficulty finishing typical activities either at work or at home without extreme shortness of breath, and often report feeling exceedingly tired.

And because many women “brush off “their symptoms as not significant, ignore them, or minimize them, they are more likely to have a silent heart attack or die during their first heart attack.

Therefore, it is exceedingly important for women to understand the symptoms of heart disease, and, as important, to know and to understand their risk factors.

The following “ABCs of Women’s Heart Disease Symptoms” should help identify the symptoms of heart disease in women.

ABCs of Women's Heart Disease Symptoms

• Angina: chest discomfort or fullness
• Blackouts or fainting
• Breathlessness: experienced during activities or waking up breathless at night
• Chronic fatigue: an inability to complete routine activities
• Dizziness: this can indicate irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias
• Edema: swelling, particularly of the lower legs and ankles
• Fluttering heartbeats: palpations, rapid heartbeats that may cause pain or difficulty breathing
• Gastric upset: nausea or vomiting, unrelated to diet, indigestion or abdominal pain
• Sweating

If you experience any of these symptoms frequently (about once a day), see a physician – they are serious and not be ignored. Keep notes about when the symptoms occur, what triggers them, and what, if anything, relieves them. It is also helpful to make a list of past treatment and all medications you are currently taking.