Symptoms of Heart Disease in Women

In addition to Managing Women’s Risk Factors, it is important to understand the symptoms that typically occur with Heart Disease.

Crushing chest pain may indicate a heart attack in a man, while mild shortness of breath can be a symptom of a heart attack in a woman. Women tend to present with complaints such as unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath, indigestion or fullness in the abdomen, or a burning sensation to the back, shoulders or arms; and many times they do not have any chest pain or discomfort at all. Unfortunately, these symptoms are easily attributed to something other than the heart, such as gastrointestinal disturbances or simply being “out of shape”.

Women tend to have heart attacks later in life than men, and may have other medical problems such as diabetes, arthritis, or osteoporosis that can mask symptoms of a heart attack.