Study: Women Have Earlier Warning of Heart Attack
Unusual fatigue and sleeplessness may be an early warning sign for
heart attack (also called “MI” or myocardial infarction) in a woman.
A study of 515 women survivors published in Circulation found that
95% had such symptoms as much as one month prior to being stricken.
Chest pains can be an early indicator of a heart attack, but 43 percent
of women in the study said they never experienced chest discomfort.
The most common symptoms were unusual fatigue (71 percent), sleep
disturbances (48 percent), shortness of breath (42 percent),
indigestion (39 percent) and anxiety (35 percent).
Source: NYT Nov4,2003
Heart disease is the number one killer of women, yet women fear
breast cancer and don’t realize heart disease as a threat. Nieca
Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York,
said the study could change the way doctors practice and could
perhaps be able to intervene before a heart attack occurs, leading
to better health outcomes for women. The study emphasizes the
need to educate women and their doctors about early warning signs.
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