Heart attack signs in women

An Unsuspected Killer

Many people believe that the breast canceris the main cause of death in women. However, peculiarly, this is notthe case. Rather, even though heart attack and cardiovascularproblems are mostly connected with men, these also affect women in anequal manner. Moreover, heart attack is one of the main reasonsbehind deaths of women in America. Thus, this condition needs to befurther looked into and understood in order for women to be capableof noticing its symptoms and react timely, avoiding the grimmestof all consequences.

Causes of Heart Attacks in Women

Old age seems to be one of the mainfactors causing heart attacks in women. During their post-menopausalperiod, their organism gets gradually weaker, giving way to numeroushealth problems, including a danger from heart attack.

Heart attack proneness may also behereditary. Therefore, women who have a history of heart attacks intheir family have greater chances of developing them themselves.Also, smokers are far more susceptible to this condition thannon-smokers are.

Finally, obesity and lack of physicalactivity lead to development of numerous health problems such asdiabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, allcontributing to the possibility of a heart attack. Alcohol abuse isone of the main causes too. Finally, statistics show that AfricanAmerican women are more prone to heart problems than Caucasian womenare.

Symptoms of a Heart Attack in Women

The first sign is always fatigue. Thus,all women who experience fatigue which interferes with their livesshould pay their doctor a visit, just to make sure no healthcondition is causing it. Sleep deprivation is also one of the earlyindicators of a possible heart attack and, as such, should not betaken lightly.

Next, several days before the actualheart attack strikes, women may feel pain in the center of theirchest. The pain may go away and strike again later. Moreover, upperpart of one's body may be in pain, including a woman's arms, chin,neck and some other parts in this region.

Sweating, dizziness and shortness ofbreath also come hand-in-hand with a heart attack. Other than these,nausea, vomiting and feeling lightheaded may strike a woman before aheart attack does.

Upon noticing these symptoms,especially the latter ones, you are advised to seek medical attentionimmediately since your heart attack may be imminent. Prolongation mayonly make things worse and possibly lead you into a life-threateningsituation. Thus, be careful and react timely.