Sunday
09/05/2010 |
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| AT THE HEART OF WOMEN
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Heart attack signs in women |
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The symptoms of a heart attack differ somewhat between women and men. Women are less likely to experience crushing chest pain, but rather more subdued warning signs, such as chest discomfort, fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea. Women also experience back or jaw pain more often than men. As a general rule, the symptoms are the same for both sexes, but they're typically milder in women. Beware of heart attack warning signs, which include:
- Pressure and/or pain in the chest
- Pain in the jaw, back, throat or arms
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Feeling of indigestion that won't go away
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Detecting and treating heart attacks in women
Most people wait two to three hours before seeking care for a heart attack, which occurs when clogged arteries deprive the heart of nourishing blood. Many of those who wait are women. Why? Their symptoms are often milder than men's and, therefore, they may mistake them for minor illnesses or indigestion and wait for them to pass.
"Heart disease is now the top cause of death in women, so any signs of chest discomfort shouldn't be ignored," says Cheryl Brody, M.D., a cardiologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center. " Longer you wait to seek treatment, the more your heart may be damaged."
At the first signs of a heart attack you should seek medical attention. At Christ Medical Center's Emergency Cardiac Center-a section of the emergency department dedicated to heart care-there's skilled team of emergency physicians and interventional cardiologists ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to diagnose and treat you within minutes. "We have a tight system in place to care for heart patients quickly," says Surendra Avula, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Christ Medical Center.
Once in the Emergency Cardiac Center, you'll receive a blood test. Doctors look for cardiac enzymes that leak into the blood, signaling heart damage. You'll also receive and electrocardiogram (EKG), a test that examines the electrical activity of your heart. An EKG can detect areas of muscle or tissue death in the heart.
"If your tests and symptoms suggest you're having a heart attack, we'll bring you to one of our four catheterization labs for an angiogram," says Dr. Avula. An angiogram is an X-ray of the blood vessels that can reveal existing blockages.
"Thanks to our protocol system, the average patient enters the lab and, if needed, can receive a coronary angioplasty within 90 minutes of entering the Emergency Cardiac Center," says Dr. Brody.
Studies show that coronary angioplasty is the most successful form of acute heart attack treatments, with a success rate of over 90 percent. Coronary angioplasty is a minimally invasive 30- to 60- minute procedure in which a physician threads a balloon-tipped catheter from a patient's groin to the heart. The balloon is inflated to stretch the artery open. A tiny mesh tube called a stent is often put in place to keep the artery open. Recovery from a heart attack usually takes about five days. Drug-eluting stents, which are coated with a medication that prevents blood clotting around the stented area, also are used. Christ Medical Center was the first hospital in Chicagoland to use the breakthrough stent.
Keeping the flow
"When a woman's estrogen level decreases during menopause, she is at greater risk for heart disease," says Paul Silverman, M.D., a cardiologist at Christ Medical Center. "By age 65, women are just as likely as men to have heart attacks, and are even more likely to die from them. For that reason, it's important women recognize the signs of a heart attack."
There's much women can do to prevent heart attacks. The key is keeping the heart muscle strong and arteries open. This is done largely through a low-fat fiber-rich diet, regular ekely to die from them. For that reason, it's important women recognize the signs of a heart attack."
There's much women can do to prevent heart attacks. The key is keeping the heart muscle strong and arteries open. This is done largely through a low-fat fiber-rich diet, regular exercise and not smoking. In addition to fighting heart disease, exercise and a healthy diet help you manage risk factors, namely hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. In fact, women who have diabetes are at triple the risk of developing heart disease than women without diabetes. "With good health habits," says Dr. Brody, " women can ward off heart attacks and change the current statistics."
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