Heart Attacks in Women

Conventional medical wisdom holds that the symptoms of heart attacks in women can be very different from the ones men experience. Maybe not. A Canadian researcher who challenged this belief has found evidence to show that heart attack symptoms don't actually vary dramatically between the sexes. The investigator, Martha Mackay, a cardiac nurse, studied 305 consecutive patients undergoing angioplasty (a procedure to open clogged coronary arteries), which briefly causes symptoms similar to those of a heart attack. Her team found no gender differences in rates of chest discomfort or other typical symptoms such as arm discomfort, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, clammy skin and indigestion-like feelings. However, she found that women were more likely than men to experience the classic symptoms of heart attack plus throat,  jaw and neck discomfort. Commenting on the study, a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada noted that while women may describe their pain differently than men, their most common symptom is still chest pain. She also noted that women are less likely to believe they're having a heart attack and therefore more likely to put off seeking treatment.

My take? While women often don't realize that heart disease is as much of a threat to them as it is to men, that's not the only obstacle women heart patients face.  Doctors tend to treat them less aggressively - women are less likely than men to receive such drugs as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or even aspirin after a heart attack; rates of angioplasties and coronary artery bypass surgery are far lower among women than men. And women make up only 25 percent of all participants in heart-related research studies. Clearly, physicians and researchers need some consciousness-raising about heart disease in women.

Comments

[J. Ehmann]

I heard as breaking news during the Olympics on MSNBC about the danger of Avandia's use. I
copied the article down so I could read it. I understand that there is a request to take it off the
market because of it's danger for Heart Attaches. What is your view about it and should those
using the medication get off it? thank you J> E.

[moderator44@drweil.com]

Hello
Dr. Weil has not commented yet but we have asked if he can. Will keep you posted.