‘Silent’ heart attack can strike women

Gender differs when it comes to heart attack and its symptoms. Contrary to common perception, heart attacks are generally more severe in women than in men. Unlike men, women do not normally feel the symptom of crushing chest pain that radiates down the arm. They oftentimes fall prey to the so-called “silent” symptoms that may become unnoticeable.

Because they may not feel the typical pain in their chest area, many women who may be having a heart attack will not notice it and will likely either ignore it or treat it with just a deep breath and a glass of water.

Identifying the red flags of a heart attack in women is important since in the first year after a heart attack, women are more than 50% likely to die than men are. During the first six years after a heart attack, women are almost twice as likely to have a second heart attack as men.

What is important to note is that in women, the pain is not confined to the chest area alone but may occur in other parts of the body like the arms, back, neck or jaw.

The most common heart attack symptom in women may still be that feeling of squeezing or fullness in the chest accompanied by pain at any point therein and not just on the left side as most men do. The cue is that it is usually described as “very uncomfortable” feeling like a vise being tightened in the affected area.

Women who are having a heart attack may tend to feel a burning sensation in their upper abdomen and may experience lightheadedness, an upset stomach, and sweating. They may experience pain in their arms, back, neck, or jaw. This type of pain often confuses women who expect their pain to be focused on their chest and left arm and not on their back or jaw.

The pain may come in as gradual or sudden and may even wax and wane before it becomes intense. Women who are asleep will be awakened by this pain. It is therefore important that women should watch out for any uncommon or unexplained pain in any part of their body above the waist.

Sometimes women mistake stomach pain with a heartburn, flu or stomach ulcer. This pain is commonly described by their victims as something like “an elephant sitting on their stomachs.”

The silent symptoms can also come in the form of shortness of breath, nausea or lightheadedness or more than one of these striking simultaneously. Women should therefore take caution if they feel like they have been in the thick of a long-distance marathon even without being active or on the move.

Another common heart attack symptom would be breaking out in nervous cold sweat that mimics what we experience after an exercise or spending time outside under the heat of the sun. Many mistake this symptom as stress-related perspiration.

Fatigue is another symptom, especially for those women who feel tired even if they have been sitting all along and haven’t had much on-the-go action. This “tiredness” feeling is said by many patients to be emanating from their chest area and may hamper them from doing simple activities like walking.

If you are a woman and have experienced any of the symptoms above, it is best that you see your doctor or cardiologist immediately. The important thing to remember is if you feel or suddenly experience any uncommon discomfort or pain, then consider the possibility of a heart attack symptom. It is always best to have our condition checked by an expert.

Along with a regular check-up for heart health, women should also observe a healthy lifestyle and avoid heart health risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, oral contraceptives, and excessive alcohol intake.

Total quality management for heart patients for both male and female is the core competency of the St. Luke’s Heart Institute. It is the country’s first private heart center of excellence dedicated to the management of cardiac disease and committed to providing excellent patient care. For more information, please call the St. Luke’s Dr. HB Calleja Heart and Vascular Institute at 7230101/0301 ext. 4751 (Quezon City) or St. Luke’s Heart Institute at 789- 7700 ext. 2000/ 2010 (Global City).

Dr. JOANNA TERESA MARGARITA L. MANALO is an active internist, cardiologist and echocardiographer at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in both Quezon City and Global City. She was a graduate of St. Louis University in Baguio City and had completed both her Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Adult Cardiology at St. Luke’s. She had also obtained Fellowships in Echocardiography from St. Luke’s, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, USA.