Heart attack signs women need to know!

The magazine article published a summary of "Heart Attack Symptoms Every Woman Should Know" by Dr. Sharon Hayes, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Let’s learn together!

1. Shortness of breath. 42% of women experience shortness of breath during a heart attack, most of which is shortness of breath without chest pain. Its onset is sudden and unprovoked.

2. Pain in the upper body. Pain in the neck, back, jaw, teeth, arm (usually the left arm), and shoulder blade are frequent symptoms of a heart attack in women. This pain does not usually occur below the belly button.

3. Nausea, vomiting and stomach discomfort. Women are twice as likely as men to experience nausea, vomiting or indigestion-like symptoms such as heartburn when they have a heart attack, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. This is often caused by obstruction of blood supply to the right coronary artery.

4. Fatigue and sleep problems. A study of 515 female heart attack patients found that 70.7% reported feeling tired more than a month before their heart attack. About half of patients have sleep problems.

5. Flu-like symptoms. Vague flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, can also be a precursor to a life-threatening heart attack, said Dr. Susan Steinbaum, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

6. Cold sweat. Women who are sure they have not entered menopause should be careful of a heart attack if they suddenly break out in a cold sweat.

7. Dizziness or light-headedness. One study found that 39 percent of women who had a heart attack experienced dizziness or lightheadedness. This may be caused by blockage in the heart vessels.