Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Women's Subtle Signs of Heart Disease

By Amber Danice

Men and women experience heart disease symptoms much differently. The heart disease symptoms women experience may go unnoticed to the average female.

Classic heart disease symptoms that have often been defined for both men and women include shortness of breath, sweating, and chest pain or pressure. Also, pain that radiates from the shoulders, to the neck, and to the arms, tightness in your chest, and heartburn or indigestion are also classic signs. Dizziness and short losses of consciousness can happen as well.

However, heart disease symptoms women experience can be very different, and much more sly. Not only do many women never realize they are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, but many end up having heart attacks without seemingly any warning at all.

Unexplained fatigue and weakness are often contributing factors to heart disease. Symptoms women experience can also include discomfort and pain between the shoulder blades that is often thought to be sore muscles or tension. Women also have reported gas, indigestion, dizziness, and nausea and vomiting as symptoms they were having prior to a heart attack, which they would sometimes associate with anxiety.

Women can have these unusual symptoms for weeks, months, and sometimes years before the heart attack actually takes place. The National Institute of Health did a study and demonstrated that the majority of women realize that something isn't right before they have a heart attack. They are experiencing unusual symptoms such as fatigue, sleep upset, and shortness of breath, but they do not realize that these can be symptoms of heart disease. What's more, less than a third of all women ever experience chest pain, which has been long associated as a primary symptom of a heart attack.

What is disturbing about these heart disease symptoms that women tend to have is that they often go unnoticed and chalked up to common stresses, aches, and pains. This makes heart disease in women even more risky as medical attention may not be sought.

Talk to your doctor and asses your risk for heart disease. Make sure that you get regular exams that check your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels. If heart disease runs in your family, make an extra effort to get added tests that may be beneficial. And, if you do start to have unusual symptoms that seem bothersome, let your doctor know. Be proactive with your health, rather than reactive!

Your lifestyle is also important in reducing your risk for heart disease. In addition to talking to your doctor, you need to take an honest look at your lifestyle and make sure you are eating right, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and cutting out the sabotaging effects of smoking, drinking, and saturated fats. Make some healthy changes now and continue to educate yourself about heart disease. Being able to identify symptoms of heart disease that women have may just be the thing that saves you or a loved one's life. - 15275

About the Author: