Women are more likely than men to have non chest-related symptoms such as jaw, neck, abdominal, arm or back pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and shortness of breath. Women are more likely to die, develop heart failure, cardiac rupture, and become disabled after a heart attack. Nevertheless women are sometimes referred less for testing than men are. Contact your doctor if you have any of the above symptoms and if you are having a heart attack, ask if you can be referred for emergency cardiac catheterization to look at and angioplasty to open the arteries.

Prevent CHD by controlling risk factors by following a low fat, low carb, low chol, low salt diet, exercise at least 7 days a week, stop smoking, and 1 alcoholic drink daily. Tea and foods high in B and E vitamins such as green leafy vegetables and fish can reduce heart disease in women. Low dose aspirin and statins can reduce heart disease risk Regular ECG stress test may not give the correct information about your heart. Further testing such as stress echocardiogram, stress thallium, or cardiac catheterization may be required. Ultrafast CT and MRI are only pre-screening tests. Do not leave the ER without EKG and cardiac enzyme test.

 

Lynne Perry-Böttinger, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Cornell University & Columbia University
New Rochelle, NY 10801