Before a Heart Attack: Know These Signs
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Chest pain: the classic symptom that says heart attack to most people. But thats far truer for men than women. In a recent study of female heart attack survivors, nearly half experienced no chest pain at all. Instead, they were more likely to have weakness, dizziness, nausea, cold sweats, or breathlessness.
These nontraditional symptoms may be one reason why womens heart attacks more often go unrecognized than mens. Another possible reason: Not much is known about womens early warning signs. These can occur as much as six months before a heart attack.
The most common sign was unusual, unexplained fatigue.
Other early signs include:
- difficulty sleeping
- shortness of breath
- indigestion
- anxiety.
Circulation, Vol. 108, No. 21