Heart Attack Symptoms in Women and How to Respond
April 13th 2010 19:42
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Category: Home and Family
Female heart attack symptoms can often be less intense and dramatic. While women can suffer the same heart attack symptoms as men, they often have softer symptoms that can be confused with other health problems. These less intense symptoms, if mistaken for a milder illness sometimes lead women to ignore what could be an impending deadly emergency. And with 1 in 4 women suffering a heart attack each year, it is important that a woman and those that love her know all the possible symptoms heart attack in women.
Soft Heart Attack Symptoms in Women
These less intense symptoms that signal heart attack in women are known in the medical field as soft symptoms. Soft symptoms present not only in women, but in diabetics and the elderly. A woman with the soft symptoms of a heart attack may suffer little or no chest pain or discomfort. She may complain of a mild chest discomfort that comes and goes and is not focused in anyone particular area of the chest. This chest discomfort seems to get better with rest and worse with activity. It starts off very mild but gets stronger and lasts at least 10 minutes. She may believe she is suffering from mild indigestion or gas. It is easy to understand how she can mistake the pain as it is often accompanied by gastric discomfort.
Occasionally a woman having a heart attack feels no chest discomfort at all and even more vague symptoms signal a heart in distress. A woman suffering a deadly heart attack may simply feel very tired. This tiredness is frequently accompanied by moist or sweaty that may be pale and appear bluish. She may have jaw pain that is not accompanied by the usual chest pain. She may feel or complain of flu-like symptoms with nausea and vomiting. She may breathe more quickly than usual as the body attempts to send more oxygen to the distressed heart muscle. Her pulse rate may change, depending on her general health. Her pulse may feel faster or slower than usual or may simply feel irregular.
As any heart attack could lead to cardiac arrest, it is important women recognize these softer symptoms of heart attack in women and get immediate help. Do not be embarrassed that it may not be a heart attack. It is much better to err on the side of caution than to suffer a needless cardiac arrest.
See below for how to respond to a heart attack
Respond to Heart Attack Symptoms in Women Quickly
1. Call 911 immediately. Do not delay this call and wait to see if the symptoms subside. Many people who die of heart attacks do so within the first 1 − 2 hours. Unfortunately many people delay seeking medical for more than two hours, greatly increasing their chance of irreversible heart damage and death. The longer you delay, the more damage is being done to the heart.
2. Take ASA (Aspirin). Chew 160mg- 325 mg of Aspirin. If you are allergic to Aspirin or assisting a person who is allergic to Aspirin do not use it. Also if the person you are assisting is asthmatic and has never taken Aspirin do not it as many asthmatics will have a severe allergic reaction. You cannot substitute ASA for Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen).
3. Sit comfortably and rest. While you wait for the ambulance sit comfortably in a chair and rest. You will be able to breathe more easily if sitting up in a comfortable position. If you are assisting someone who may be having a heart attack convince to stop what she is doing and sit comfortably while you call for help.
4. Monitor her pulse. If her pulse should suddenly stop she has gone into cardiac arrest. You must begin CPR immediately to keep blood flowing through the heart and oxygen reaching other vital organs. To take a pulse place the first and second fingers of your hand approximately two inches below the base of her hand on the side of the thumb near the outside of her arm. If you are able to give CPR continue until emergency responders arrive to take over.
5. Be calm and reassuring. If you are assisting a woman who you believe may be having a heart attack be calm, comforting and reassuring. Assure her that help is on the way and that you will remain with her. Your calm assurance and comforting will help her to remain calm, which will ease some of her discomfort.
6.Prepare for the Ambulance. When responding to heart attack symptoms in women, it is important, if you have time, to prepare for the ambulance. Ambulance attendants will need information such as her medical history, list of medications she is taking, allergies, last meal, when the symptoms began, what brought them on and how long they have lasted. You should also have proof of any medical insurance ready.
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