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The course of a heart attack differs in many ways between women and men. The side effects of a heart attack are, at a very basic level, extraordinary, and many women have no idea that they have even experienced a mild heart attack. The most common side effects that occur in both sexes are chest pain that radiates into the arm; however, the so‑called “silent” symptoms of a heart attack appear much more frequently in women.
Heart attack symptoms
There are several completely typical symptoms of a heart attack for both sexes, such as a heaviness on the chest pressing into the arm. Other definite ones include severe shortness of breath and overall weakness.
In recent years, however, doctors have observed that heart attacks are preceded by very quiet symptoms, and much more often in women. Therefore we decided to warn you about these symptoms so that you do not ignore them and detect the health problem in time.
Arms, back, neck or jaw
This kind of suffering happens especially in women rather than in men. Most of us assume that when a heart attack occurs we will certainly recognize it by pain in the left side of the chest, but that is not always the case. A forewarning of a heart attack can also be pain in the back, teeth and neck. Pain can develop gradually, but it can suddenly appear in these parts of the body. Tell your attending physician about any surprising or unexplained symptoms that have appeared on the body from the abdomen upward.
Cold sweat
If it is a sweat indicating the risk of a heart attack, it is a cold sweat, which appears mainly in sick people. However, if this cold sweat appears when you are not suffering from any illness, you should be on alert.
Chest pain
As we already mentioned above, chest pain is often a side effect of a heart attack; however, in some women this suffering can present in an unexpected way. Women describe this distress as a heaviness that appears on the chest, but suddenly moves to the left side of the body, especially into the arm.
Stomach problems
In some cases people mistakenly believe it is digestive issues, the flu or stomach ulcers. Even in this case we must distinguish whether it is a typical pain or an unpleasant pressure that appears in the abdominal area.
“You feel as if an elephant is sitting on your stomach,” says cardiologist Goldberg from the emergency clinic in New York.
Weakness
Several women who experienced a heart attack reported that they felt very tired and weak, even though they were merely sitting and not exerting themselves.
“Patients are often gripped by weakness. It is often such a weakness that even the walk to the bathroom is a big and demanding effort.”
Shortness of breath and nausea
If you have breathing problems for no obvious reason, it could be a heart attack. Especially if you observe this symptom along with any of the others.
If you or someone close to you experiences these problems, it is recommended to seek professional help and prevent fatal consequences such as permanent health damage or even death.
