Heart disease in women

You know that heart disease is deadly, but are you sure you know the warning signs of a heart attack? It turns out women don’t always experience the same heart attack symptoms that men do. And that’s a big deal, considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and more women than men die from it each year, according to recent statistics from the American Heart Association.

So what signs should you be looking out for? More than just chest pain says Tracey Stevens, M.D., spokesperson for the American Heart Association and cardiologist with Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants. “Anything from the waist up can possibly be a symptom,” says Stevens. That includes shortness of breath, indigestion, pain between the shoulder blades or jaw, dizziness, and nausea—just to name a few.

So it’s crucial to identify the signs and symptoms when you see them. Use this simple pneumonic—PULSE—as your cheat sheet:

Persistent chest pain
Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting
Lightheadedness, dizziness
Shortness of breath
Excessive sweating