Women's Health Case Studies

Heart disease risk factors are different for women

• Until recently, only men were considered to be at risk for Myocardial infarction (MI)—or heart attack, so their MI symptoms were defined as “typical”. These include chest discomfort, discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath, and other symptoms, such as cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.  Chest pain is the most common symptom of MI for men.
• Several studies have indicated that women experience a wide variety of symptoms, which are often considered “atypical” because they differ from symptoms in men. Women do experience chest pain are more likely to have subtle symptoms of MI such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, abdominal or mid-back pain, and indigestion.  Unfortunately, because these symptoms differ from those typically reported by men, women may not receive appropriate and aggressive treatment.  In fact, women experience delays in both arriving at the hospital after having MI symptoms and receiving timely treatment for those symptoms.
• Several studies have reported that women suffered more from atypical symptoms of unstable angina (UA) than men, including shortness of breath, nausea, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, back pain, and weakness.
• Women are more likely than men to have a second heart attack within a year of the first one.  Studies have shown that women have worse in-hospital and long-term outcomes than men after MI.  According to the AHA, 38% of women who have had an MI will die within one year, compared with 25% of men.
• Studies have shown that the mortality rates are higher for women.