Heart attack symptoms in women: the full list, and why they are missed
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Knowing the symptoms – all of them – is the part you can control.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you think you need care, contact a health professional.
The scale of it
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. Someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds; about 805,000 Americans have one each year, and about 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent – the damage is done without the person being aware of it.
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Heart attacks in the US each year | about 805,000 |
| Frequency | one every 40 seconds |
| Share that are silent | about 1 in 5 |
| Deaths from cardiovascular disease (2023) | 919,032 – about one in three US deaths |
Source: CDC, Heart Disease Facts.
The symptoms
The American Heart Association lists the same warning signs for women and men, and says chest pain or discomfort is the most common symptom in women too. The list:
- uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the centre of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back;
- pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach;
- shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort;
- breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
Some women describe the chest symptom as upper back pressure, like squeezing or a rope being tied around them.
Why women's heart attacks get missed
Women are more likely than men to have the symptoms other than chest pain – and to put them down to something else, such as acid reflux, the flu or simply getting older. Harvard Health Publishing reports on research in which only about a third of women had the "classic" chest pain once their heart attack was under way; shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, a clammy sweat, dizziness and nausea were common. In the same research, unusual fatigue and disturbed sleep were the most frequent early warnings in the month before.
What to do
- Call 911 (or your local emergency number) straight away. Do not wait to see if it passes, and do not drive yourself to hospital: emergency teams can start treatment on the way.
- Note the time the symptoms started; it helps the medical team.
- Afterwards, ask about your risk. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking and family history are the classic questions to go through with a doctor.
