Heart attacks are generally considered a man's disease. In women, a heart attack is manifested by other symptoms. What are they?
Frankfurt – It pumps up to 10,000 litres of blood through our blood vessels every day: the human heart, about the size of a clenched fist, is one of the strongest muscles in the body. If the most important organ stops pumping, there is an extreme danger to life. The organ is essential for human health.
However, when it comes to problems with the heart, there are big gender differences. This was discovered by researchers for the Augsburg Heart Attack Registry on behalf of the federal government's health reporting. Since 1985, data on heart attacks and coronary heart disease, i.e. calcification of coronary arteries, have been documented in the Augsburg region. The data are intended to advance research in these areas.
Heart attack in women: different symptoms than in men
Significantly more men than women die of a heart attack: For the years 2019 to 2021, there were 7.1 men aged 25 to 29 in a period of 28 days in the Augsburg region – none of the women of the same age died of a heart attack. The older people are, the more heart attacks increase. Between 2019 and 2021, 1161.1 men between the ages of 80 and 84 died of a heart attack within 28 days in the Augsburg region – and 535 women of the same age in the same period. This is indicated by the Augsburg Heart Attack Registry.
A heart attack is often manifested by different signs in women than in men. © AOK Mediendienst/dpa/gms
In general, heart attacks are considered a man's disease. For them, a heart attack is usually manifested by signs such as a feeling of tightness in the heart area, pressure on the chest or fear sweating.
But women are also affected by infarctions – but this often manifests itself in them through other symptoms. Dr. Stefan Waller, a specialist in cardiology in Berlin, deals with the symptoms of a heart attack in women. Waller is known online as "Dr. Heart" – on Youtube he shares videos in which he gives tips and tricks for good heart health.
What is the difference between a typical and an atypical female heart attack?
Waller distinguishes between typical and atypical female heart attacks, as he revealed to Focus Online. A typical sign of a heart attack in women is the pain in the chest, which can radiate to the lower jaw, arms or back. Cold sweats and shortness of breath could also be signs of a heart attack.
However, according to Dr. Waller, a female heart attack can also occur with rather atypical symptoms. These include signs such as shortness of breath, abdominal pain, pressure in the upper back, fainting, dizziness, lightheadedness or an extreme feeling of weakness.
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Signs of a heart attack in women
- Chest pain (may radiate to the lower jaw, arms, or back)
- Sweats
- shortness of breath or shortness of breath
- Pressure in the upper back
- Feeling fainting, dizziness, lightheadedness or even an extreme feeling of weakness
In the case of a "silent" heart attack, there are no symptoms – this type of infarction is often not even noticed by those affected. But there are certain signs of this as well.
