More than 3 million American women have a history of heart
attack, according to the American Heart Association.
A heart
attack is an event that results in permanent heart damage or
death.
A heart attack occurs when one of the coronary arteries becomes
severely or totally blocked, usually by a blood clot.
When the heart muscle does not receive the oxygen-rich blood
that it needs, it begins to die.
The severity of a heart attack usually depends on how much of
the heart muscle is injured or dies during the attack.
According to the National Institutes of Health, women are more
likely to have a greater number of risk factors for
heart attacks than men.
In general, heart attacks are deadlier to women at any age than
they are to men.
Compared with male heart attack patients, women are usually
about 10 years older at the time of their first attack.
Up to 25 percent of heart attacks do not cause symptoms. These
are known as silent heart attacks. Most attacks, though, do produce
symptoms, which are often severe and frightening.
Diagnosing
heart attacks can be more difficult in women than men because
women tend to have less-typical symptoms.
During a heart attack, women are less likely than men to feel
severe chest pain typically associated with a heart attack (such as
a tightening of the chest) and are more likely to report a feeling
of severe heartburn in the upper abdomen or pain in the
breast.
Women experiencing a heart attack may feel pain in the back,
neck or jaw.
Women have reported symptoms of unusual fatigue, sleep
disturbances, shortness of breath, indigestion and anxiety in
the weeks leading up to their heart attack.
Your chance of surviving a heart attack depends largely on the
treatment
that is given within the first hour after the heart attack.
People suffering a heart attack should always receive immediate
professional emergency medical intervention.
While waiting for help to arrive or on the way to the hospital,
people who are having a heart attack are often told to begin
chewing aspirin, which inhibits the formation of blood clots. It is
thought that taking aspirin while experiencing a heart attack can
decrease the risk of death by about 25 percent.
After a heart attack, you will need from two weeks to more than
six weeks of recovery time, depending on the severity of the
attack.
Cardiac rehabilitation programs are strongly recommended to
help people who have had a heart attack get back on their feet
quickly and safely.
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