Most of us would be surprised to hear that a female friend, co-worker or family member under the age of 55 suffered a heart attack. Younger women simply do not fit the profile that most Americans have of a heart attack victim. In reality, however, more than 15,000 women under the age of 55 die each year from heart disease. And, heart disease is the third leading cause of death in women ages 35 to 44.
Largely because of America’s widespread denial, younger women tend to ignore important signals that they are suffering a heart attack. As a result they do not get the immediate emergency care they need.
An article on NPR’s website recently reported on a study published this week in which researchers explored some of the reasons younger women delay getting help. The study’s researchers interviewed 30 women between the ages of 30 and 55 who had been hospitalized following a heart attack. They found that most of the women were not even aware that the symptoms they were feeling were associated with having a heart attack.
According to Judith Lichtman, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, "Women may experience a combination of things they don't always associate with a heart attack. Maybe we need to do a better job of explaining and describing to the public what a heart attack looks and feels like."
Some study participants said that even when they thought they might be having heart attack symptoms, they were hesitant to speak up and ask for help because they did not want to be labeled a “hypochondriac.”
The article revealed that doctors also misdiagnose sharp chest pains reported by younger women as acid reflux or gas. One reason the article cites for this is that many doctors do not have the proper diagnostic tools to diagnose heart disease in women.
To learn more, read the entire article.
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