Heart Attack Symptoms Women Need to Know

heart attack

There was once a time when heart attacks were thought to plague mostly men. However, medical findings have discovered that women are just as susceptible to heart attacks as men. In fact, heart disease is the number one cause of death for women. You might think you’d know if you suffered a heart attack, but the truth is that the symptoms are different for every woman. It’s not always like you see in the movies, which means you need to familiarize yourself with the main symptoms of a heart attack.

Sudden Difficulty Breathing

With or without chest pain, a sudden feeling of difficulty breathing is an early warning sign for almost 42 percent of all women who suffer heart attacks. The attack begins suddenly. You might notice that all of a sudden you simply cannot breathe well, even if you’re not currently engaged in any type of strenuous activity that could account for your sudden shortness of breath.

Nausea and Vomiting

While it might be more famous for its role in pregnancy, nausea and vomiting are telling signs that you might be suffering from a heart attack. This happens with the blood supply leading to the right coronary artery becomes blocked. However, most women ignore this when it’s not accompanied by chest pain. Without accompanying chest pain, most women don’t assume that a heart attack is happening within their bodies.

Fatigue

Again, fatigue can be associated with so many other health issues. You could simply be working too hard, not sleeping enough, you could be suffering from the flu or you could even be pregnant. However, nearly 70 percent of female heart attack victims report feeling suddenly and overwhelmingly fatigued in the month leading up to their attack. If you begin to feel fatigue of this nature out of the blue, it’s a good idea to notify your health care provider.

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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