Early detection of heart disease can be crucial to establishing an effective treatment regimen and promoting long-term heart health. Unfortunately, however, some of the most common heart disease symptoms in women are regularly overlooked, leading to medical errors such as missed diagnoses and even, in some instances, treatment for an alternative condition the patient does not actually have. Learning to recognize commonly overlooked symptoms of heart disease in women can put you in a position to advocate for yourself at the doctor’s office or in the emergency department. If you are struggling with cardiac complications due to medical negligence, a New Mexico heart health advocate with Erin Marshall Law may be able to offer guidance. Call our office at 505-218-9949 to learn more.
Common Categories of Cardiac Disease
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies three categories of cardiovascular disease (CVD) common in the general population:
- Coronary artery disease: Caused by a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries over time, this is both the most common form of heart disease overall and the kind you are most likely to associate with such concepts as “heart healthy” diets and exercise recommendations designed to lower and individual’s cholesterol and reduce their chances of developing coronary (heart) artery disease.
- Arrhythmias: There are actually several distinct types of arrhythmias. All of them are characterized by some form of dysfunction or irregularity in the pacing of the heart’s beats. Whether arrhythmias require treatment or not generally depends on the type and severity of the arrhythmia in each particular case.
- Heart failure: Often the result of a combination of underlying factors rather than an independently developing condition of its own, heart failure occurs when the heart muscle becomes so weak that it is no longer able to pump enough blood to maintain the functions of the body’s other vital organs.
All of these conditions can develop in people of any gender, but the initial symptoms can look somewhat different in women vs. men. In addition, there are a few heart conditions that are linked specifically to the processes of the female reproductive system, such as preeclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Pregnancy-related cardiac complications are the leading cause of maternal death in the United States, so these conditions do bear careful monitoring and treatment – but the good news is that with prompt diagnosis and appropriate medical care, most heart problems in pregnant women are treatable, and new moms are usually able to recover in the months after delivery.
Misrecognition of Heart Disease Symptoms in Women
One of the most concerning facts about heart disease, in patients of all genders, is that many people have few to no symptoms until their condition is considerably advanced, or they develop serious complications, such as an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). For women specifically, however, an additional factor that can sometimes delay diagnosis and treatment is that the early symptoms of heart disease in women can be different from those that commonly show up in men. As Global Research and Consulting (GRC) observes, women experiencing a heart attack are less likely than men to report chest pain, yet more likely to present with nausea, shortness of breath, or pain in the jaw or back.
Overlooked Symptoms of Heart Disease in Women
Many healthcare providers are underprepared to recognize the distribution of heart disease symptoms in women. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute warns that “younger” women, especially, are far more likely than men to be sent home from an emergency department without diagnosis or treatment after acute cardiac events associated with microvascular heart disease – an alarming fact that may be at least partly explained by inadequate training. An experienced women’s health advocate with Erin Marshall Law may be able to explain more in a personalized consultation.
Medical Errors Caused by Inadequate Training
The GRC report cited above also notes that fewer than 30% of medical schools address gender-specific health needs in their curricula; a mere 9% did offer gender-specific elective courses for medical students, while out of 11 separate medical textbooks examined, not one gave a comprehensive breakdown of sex-dependent differences in disease progression and symptomatology, even for common conditions that affect all genders. Early detection is often key to ensuring optimal patient outcomes, so medical errors such as missed diagnoses can have dangerous implications for women’s heart health.
Heart Attack Symptoms in Men and Women
The most commonly reported (and recognized) symptom of many forms of heart disease, and especially of the acute cardiac event known as a heart attack, is chest pain, across all sex and gender categories. The list of symptoms known to be associated with myocardial infarction is also generally similar regardless of patient sex. However, female patients are far more likely than their male counterparts to present with another symptom from the list, rather than chest pain, as their dominant symptom (or, as medical professionals tend to describe it, their “primary complaint”).
Signs of Heart Disease Beyond Chest Pain
Besides angina (chest pain), the CDC lists the following symptoms of heart disease in women:
- Jaw, neck, or throat pain
- Back or upper abdominal pain
- Nausea (with or without vomiting)
- Dizziness
- Fatigue (not explained by recent exertion)
- Palpitations (often described as a fluttering sensation in the chest)
- Shortness of breath
- Edema (often in the feet or ankles; occasionally in the abdomen as well)
Men as well as women may experience any of these symptoms, according to Yale Medicine, but the frequency of reportage can differ somewhat depending on patient gender – as can the preconceptions of healthcare professionals.
Commonly Overlooked Symptoms of Heart Disease in Women
Because almost any symptom of heart disease can appear in a person of any gender, no list of heart disease, or even heart attack, symptoms can be truly exclusive to women. However, five symptoms from the CDC’s list that are consistently overlooked in female patients are:
- Nausea/vomiting
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Neck or jaw pain
Doctors may be more likely to miss a diagnosis of heart disease in women because women are more likely to report the above symptoms unaccompanied by the classic symptom of chest pain, which can make healthcare providers less likely to suspect heart disease. Another reason these symptoms of heart disease in women can be especially difficult to “pin down” is that they can also be associated with other, non-cardiac, conditions. Further complicating the situation, even when women do report chest pain they are more likely to be misdiagnosed with another problem, such as anxiety – potentially delaying treatment and leading to preventable deaths.
Speak With a New Mexico Healthcare Attorney
If your chances for early detection of heart disease were missed due to overlooked symptoms, you may be struggling with frustration as well as cardiac complications. The tragic, deeply unfair truth is that some of the most common heart disease symptoms in women are often misdiagnosed, or simply dismissed. These medical errors can have enormous consequences for women and their loved ones. If you have questions about how to move forward, consider scheduling a consultation with an understanding women’s healthcare attorney to discuss your options. Call Erin Marshall Law today at 505-218-9949.
