Women's heart health

Heart Disease Prevention

Heart Disease Prevention

Heart Attack Symptoms

Women are up to two times more likely to die of a heart attack than men. Women are not “small men” and there are important differences that impact women’s heart health and management - including differences in heart attack symptoms.

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This is why it’s so important to raise awareness about the differences in symptoms, and if you feel something, say something.

Women's Heart Attack Symptoms

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Compared to men, women are more likely to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

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  • Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or upper belly (abdomen) discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in one or both arms
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Sweating
  • Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
  • Unusual fatigue
  • Heartburn (indigestion)

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Lack of awareness of heart attack symptoms is so problematic that in one study, more than half of women who were having a heart attack did not perceive their symptoms as being heart-related, and more than 20% thought their symptoms were related to stress or anxiety! The same study also showed that clinicians can miss these symptoms as well. Among the women who had been evaluated for similar symptoms prior to the heart attack, more than half were told by their provider that the pain was not heart related.

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Learn more about the differences in symptoms.

Learn more about medical gaslighting.

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Footnotes
  1. Reducing the Burden of Chronic Disease. Aspen Health Strategy Group. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/AHSG-Chronic-Disease-Report-2019.pdf. Published January 2019. Accessed May 23, 2022.
  2. Facts About Hypertension. CDC Web site. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm. Published September 27, 2021. Accessed May 23, 2022.
  3. Ahmed FB, Anderson RN. The Leading Causes of Death in the US for 2020. JAMA. 2021;325(18):1829-1830. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778234. Accessed May 23, 2022.
  4. This includes heart disease and stroke, which are both related to heart health. Source: Schmidt H. Top 10 Most Expensive Chronic Diseases for Healthcare Payers. HealthPayerIntelligence. February 22, 2022. https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/top-10-most-expensive-chronic-diseases-for-healthcare-payers. Accessed May 23, 2022.
  5. Figure calculated as part of Validation Institute’s analysis of Hello Heart cost savings. Source: Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021-Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed May 23, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-funded employer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
  6. Based on data on file at Hello Heart.
  7. Sources: (1) Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed May 23, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed May 23, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
  8. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021-Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed May 23, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-funded employer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
  9. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed May 23, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication.)
  10. Kaplan AL, Cohen ER, Zimlichman E. Improving patient engagement in self-measured blood pressure monitoring using a mobile health technology. Health Inf Sci Syst. 2017; 5 (4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13755-017-0026-9. Accessed May 23, 2022. (Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. There were 783 participants with baseline systolic blood pressure ≥ 140. See additional important study limitations in the publication.)