Heart Attack Often Misdiagnosed in Women



Posted: Friday, April 25, 2008

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Women often have different symptoms of acute coronary syndrome than men. Women who experience heart attacks are more likely to die when compared to men. Women also experience heart attacks on the average of ten years later than men.

It is now thought that the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, (MI, heart attack) is frequently missed in women because women have symptoms that are not recognized. Women are more likely to have symptoms of palpitations, upper back pain, shortness of breath, indigestion, loss of appetite, cough, dizziness, weakness and fatigue rather than chest pain. This has lead to misdiagnosis. In a recent large study it was found that approximately one third of patients who are having a heart attack had no symptoms of chest pain and that women were the least likely to have any chest pain.

The message about heart attacks will remain the same for now, but research suggests that a different approach toward the recognition of heart attack symptoms should be presented. It would probably be more valuable to instruct the public that symptoms of heart attack can vary. A new approach might prevent delays in treatment. Targeted research that includes the collection of hospital data should be pursued in order to provide a different standard of teaching regarding heart attack symptoms and when to seek help.

Ref: Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:2396, 2405-2413.
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