People are being warned what to look out for in the event of a heart attack – especially for women. It’s not commonly known that the signs of this potentially fatal problem look different for men and women.
Dr Punam Krishan, known for her health advice shared on BBC’s Morning Live as well as participating in the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing, spoke about the topic on Instagram. She said knowing the warning signs is very impotant for people as it could “saves lives”.
She said: “I wanted to talk about something that we just don’t talk about enough, and that is women and heart attacks, because the signs aren’t always as obvious, and that’s where the big problem lies. It actually kills twice as many women as breast cancer.”
Coronary heart disease, the underlying cause of most heart attacks, kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation. While breast cancer is a serious concern for women, heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for women in the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation.
Dr Punam continued: “Most of us have this same picture in our minds when it comes to heart attacks of a man clutching the centre of his chest with pain down the arm – and that’s it. But that not actually it.”
Dr Punam explained how the troubling reality is that women “don’t get those ‘classic symptoms'” which can lead to cases being missed. She added that medical textbooks, doctor training and public health messaging “tends to focus on male symptoms” – making it an uphill battle for women.
The medical expert shared the eight signs that women should look out for in themselves and other women. She said the red flags that someone is having a heart attack are different between biologically male and female people.
Eight signs women need to know
- Chest tightness or pressure.
- Sudden extreme tiredness.
- Nausea.
- Vomitting.
- Sudden shortness of breath.
- Pain (specifically in the jaw, neck, shoulders and upper back).
- Sudden dizziness or feeling lightheaded.
- Breaking out in cold sweats.
Dr Punam added: “This is so, so important because, over my 20 years as a doctor, I’ve sadly seen it too many times. Women just brushing off symptoms or worse, just not being taken seriously when they do speak up.
“That is why education is vital, that we all know what to look out for and that we all understand that heart attacks can look very different in women compared to men. It’s too often that women say ‘it’s probably nothing’ – but we need to get better at listening to our bodies and advocating for them.
“That one sentence – I’m worried that this could be my heart – could make all the difference. Because one thing I can tell you for sure, when it comes to heart attacks, timing saves lives, but so does being heard.”
What causes heart attacks?
According to the NHS, the leading cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is a condition in which the major blood vessels (coronary arteries) that supply the heart muscle become clogged by a build-up of deposits of fatty substances, known as plaques.
If a doctor feels you’re at risk of coronary heart disease, they may carry out a risk assessment. They’ll ask you about your medical and family history and your lifestyle, and they’ll take a blood test.
Coronary heart disease cannot be cured but treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the chances of problems such as heart attacks. People are advised to make major lifestyle changes (like regular exercise and quitting smoking) but doctors can also prescribe medication and look at surgical options (like an angioplasty).