What are the symptoms of heart disease in women?
Women often experience different signs and symptoms of heart disease than men, specifically with regards to CAD and other cardiovascular diseases.In fact, a 2003 study looked at the symptoms most often seen in women who’d experienced a heart attack. The top symptoms didn’t include “classic” heart attack symptoms such as chest pain and tingling. Instead, the study reported that women were more likely to say they experienced anxiety, sleep disturbances, and unusual or unexplained fatigue.
What’s more, 80 percent of the women in the study reported experiencing these
symptoms for at least one month before their heart attack occurred.
Symptoms of heart disease in women can also be confused with other conditions, such as depression, menopause, and anxiety.
Common heart disease symptoms in women include:
- dizziness
- paleness
- shortness of breath or shallow breathing
- lightheadedness
- fainting or passing out
- anxiety
- nausea
- vomiting
- jaw pain
- neck pain
- back pain
- indigestion or gaslike pain in the chest and stomach
- cold sweats
- Read more about the common signs and symptoms of heart disease in women — and find out why many women say they wouldn’t call 911 if they thought they were having a heart attack.
Heart disease is a collection of diseases and conditions that cause cardiovascular problems. Each type of heart disease is caused by something entirely unique to that condition. Atherosclerosis and CAD result from plaque buildup in the arteries. Other causes of heart disease are described below.
Arrhythmia causes
Causes of an abnormal heart rhythm include:
- diabetes
- CAD
- heart defects, including congenital heart defects
- medications, supplements, and herbal remedies
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- excessive alcohol or caffeine use
- substance use disorders
- stress and anxiety
- existing heart damage or disease
