Jun 30, 2008 7:35 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Women And Heart Disease
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. A new study shows that female symptoms can be subtle, and are being missed by hospitals and women themselves.
AP
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America.
A new study shows that female symptoms can be subtle, and are being missed by hospitals and women themselves.
Debbie Ann Schneider is living proof that symptoms of a woman's heart attack can be very different from a man's.
"I actually thought I was having a little touch of asthma, or I couldn't take a full breath," Schneider said.
Sometimes, even hospitals can miss the signs with women.
"I walk in and tell the lady, 'I think I am having a heart attack,' and she sort of didn't want to get off the phone," Schneider said.
A new international study says that Schneider is not alone, and is further proof that women's heart attacks are going undiagnosed.
"They don't have that typical heart attack of the middle-aged businessman clutching his chest – instead the symptoms are more subtle," Dr. Niece Goldberg, NYU Langone Medical Center, said. "Instead the symptoms are much more subtle; it could be shortness of breath [or] unusual fatigue."
Nausea, chest pressure, and upper back pain can also be warning signs.
The study also found that six months after their first severe heart attack, women were more likely to die than men, and probably from being undertreated.
"It seems we are still back in the dark ages of women and cardiovascular disease," Goldberg said.
Dr. Goldberg says that because women's arteries are blocked differently, women are less likely to receive artery-opening surgery and to be given crucial heart medications, known as "beta-blockers."
"I'm really grateful now, for my life," Schneider said.
It's been three years since Schneider's heart attack and she has advice for all women.
"Know the signs, ask your doctor, and push, Schneider said. "Push, and make sure somebody listens."
The study has useful information for doctors to know, but the greatest impact would be if it encourages more women to ask for treatment and more physicians listen.
Knowing the risk factors for heart disease is important, too: they include smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity.
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