Heart attacks kill more than 15,000 women in the U.S. each year and are disproportionately deadly for females under the age of 55. Although several studies, including those by Stanford cardiologist Jennifer Tremmel, MD, have investigated the signs and consequences of heart attacks in men and women, relatively little is known about heart disease in women or why it's so lethal for young females. And according to new research, misconceptions about the risk factors and signs of coronary heart disease may be why young females are less likely to recognize and seek emergency care for a heart attack.
In the study, published yesterday in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a research team led by Judith Lichtman, PhD, MPH, of the Yale School of Public Health, interviewed 30 women between the ages of 30 to 55 who had been hospitalized for a heart attack. The researchers identified five common themes among the symptoms and treatments of the women they interviewed, and one potentially important finding was that women were unsure they'd had a heart attack so they were hesitant to seek medical treatment.
From an NPR story:
A heart attack doesn't necessarily feel like a sudden painful episode that ends in collapse, [Lichtman] notes. And women are more likely than men to experience vague symptoms like nausea or pain down their arms.
"Women may experience a combination of things they don't always associate with a heart attack," Lichtman says. "Maybe we need to do a better job of explaining and describing to the public what a heart attack looks and feels like."
Tremmel also provided comment on the study, saying it indicates a need to encourage women to seek help for medical concerns. "This is an ongoing issue in the medical field," she said. "...We all have to empower women patients, so they know that they need to not be so worried about going to the hospital if they're afraid there's something wrong."
Previously: New test could lead to increase of women diagnosed with heart attack, Heart attacks and chest pain: Understanding the signs in young women, Ask Stanford Med: Cardiologist Jennifer Tremmel responds to questions on women’s heart health, Paper highlights major differences in disease between men and women and Gap exists in women's knowledge of heart disease
Photo by Simon Mason
