pressing your hand on the area, the way a bruise or pulled muscle would feel tender to the touch. This type of chest pain is often triggered in situations when the heart muscle requires more oxygen, such as when you exert yourself. Exercise, cold weather, mental stress, and sexual activity all place heavier oxygen requirements on your heart.
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Although women in the U.S. are more likely to die of CHD than any other cause, they are less likely to have classic heart attack symptoms. For medical professionals, this can present a challenge. Some women who are having a heart attack complain of an achy, heavy, or burning sensation in the chest rather than typical pain. Some may have pain in their shoulders or in between their shoulder blades. Sometimes they just feel unusually tired or sick to their stomach. Others complain about difficulty breathing.
In general, women wait much longer than men to go to the ER when experiencing the warning signs of a heart attack. This puts them at greater risk of poorer outcomes. In fact, women are twice as likely to die in the hospital as men due to heart attack. Women tend to have heart attacks later in life than men— about 10 years later on average—however, women who have a heart attack before age 45 have a worse prognosis than men.
Regardless of your age or gender, you can take certain measures to increase your chances of surviving a heart attack. First, remember that time is of the essence. Cardiologists have a saying: “Time is muscle.” This means that in the event of a heart attack, the amount of time it takes to get treatment determines the amount of damage to the heart muscle. The longer it takes to receive treatment, the more heart muscle tissue will die and be permanently damaged. The faster you receive treatment, the less damage to the heart muscle and the better your chances of survival.
Knowing the symptoms and warning signs of CHD and heart attack is critical for survival. If you’re experiencing any symptoms associated with heart attack, call 911 immediately. Far too many people delay calling for help. I’ve heard every excuse possible from my patients who have had heart attacks but waited to call for help. Some say they felt embarrassed or were afraid of appearing silly. Some were in denial about what was happening to them.
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Some were so concerned about their many responsibilities—job, family, children, pets, volunteer work—that they thought, “I don’t have time to be in the hospital with a heart attack.” For some, the absence of