A study funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research found that women experience undiagnosed warning signs weeks, months, and even years before having a heart attack.
"We're finding that, on average, most women experience warning signs four to six months prior to their heart attack," says study investigator Jean McSweeney, a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
To obtain her results, McSweeney's team interviewed more than 600 female heart attack survivors at medical centers and hospitals in Arkansas, Ohio, and North Carolina.
Significant differences exist in the symptoms displayed by women and men. Men typically experience the "classic" heart attack signs: tightness in the chest, arm pain, and shortness of breath. Women's symptoms -- nausea, an overwhelming fatigue, and dizziness -- are strikingly different and are often chalked up to stress.
"Women started telling me how they had a hard time getting physicians to listen to them about these early warning symptoms," explains McSweeney.
Unusual fatigue, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, indigestion and anxiety were the top five symptoms reported by both black and white women in the study. However, black women had more intense episodes and reported them more often.
"That surprised us, and we plan to look into it," admits McSweeney. "We do know that black women have more co-existing conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, that could increase their likelihood of having heart disease."
