Symptoms of heart attack in women. What should I do if I have a heart attack?

A heart attack is one of the common causes of sudden mortality. No one is immune to it. Especially those people who have crossed a certain age line. But, unfortunately, more and more often heart attacks are observed and at a fairly young age. In this case, the symptoms of a heart attack in women are somewhat different from those of men. They are more blurred and not pronounced. And this leads to the fact that mortality rates in women from heart attacks are steadily increasing.

How correctly to recognize the first signs, the symptoms of a heart attack? And what to do in this situation? How to help yourself or your loved one?

What is a heart attack?

Pathology often leads to death. But doctors say that if a first aid is provided in a timely manner, and a team of doctors is called, the patient is saved. Most often, a fatal outcome is likely if urgent medical measures failed to be taken. In this case, death occurs as a result of extensive damage to the heart and complications that have arisen.

What happens in the body in this pathology? Symptoms of a heart attack in women appear in the event that one of the arteries feeding the myocardium, ceases to function fully. It does not deliver the blood in full to the main body. This leads to damage to the part of the heart muscle. The tissues begin to die. The patient badly needs qualified help. Otherwise - a lethal outcome.

What can be provoked by a heart attack? Symptoms in women occur against the background of disturbed blood vessels. Pathology can manifest as a result of sudden spasm. Often the attack is triggered by an unexpected blockage of the vessel with cholesterol or a blood clot. Regardless of the factor that caused the pathology, the cause of dying of the heart tissue is one - a lack of oxygen.

Factors leading to a heart attack

A lot of reasons can provoke a heart attack. Symptoms in women are similar in most cases, regardless of the source of the pathology.

The main provoking factors are:

• Age (after 55 years, a woman enters a risk zone);
• Hereditary factor;
• A surgery for ovarian removal;
• Period after menopause.

Additional sources of pathology

However, there are other causes that provoke a heart attack, which can be eliminated or negated by their negative effects on the body.

Such factors are:

1. Smoking, addiction to alcohol, drug addiction. These factors stand on the 1st place. Smokers are almost always diagnosed with heart disease. Intoxication with alcohol several times worsens the situation. Often an acute attack occurs in a state of deep hangover.
2. Reception of contraceptive pills. Sometimes such a factor leads to the appearance of pathology in women who have not reached even 40 years.
3. High cholesterol. Vessels clogged with plaques experience severe overload. Of course, the heart does not receive enough blood. He has to function in a strengthened mode.
4. Obesity. The organs that swim with fat do not allow the myocardium to work at full strength. This is a fairly common cause, leading to cardiac disorders.
5. Lack of mobility. As a rule, this factor is combined with obesity or obesity.
6. Hypertension. High blood pressure overloads the heart muscle and blood vessels.
7. Diabetes. This is a pathology that provokes many different disorders in the body. Suffering from ailment and cardiovascular system.
8. Inflammatory processes in the vessels. They provoke the rupture of the coronary artery. Inflammation causes an increase in the body of a reactive protein. This pattern is most often observed in women. And what caused the increase in protein, doctors are not yet ready to say.
9. Hypothyroidism. The ailment often becomes the source of the onset of heart diseases. He can provoke an attack.
10. Chronic stress. This condition is the cause of the development of most diseases in the body. And first of all, stress negatively affects the work of the heart.

Classic signs

Let's look at what symptoms are most common in a heart attack.

Pathology is characterized by the following main features:

1. There is pain in the chest area. This is the most characteristic symptom of an impending heart attack. But the pain is not always. Some people feel discomfort, constriction, certain pressure in the chest. At the same time, the pain is completely absent. Patients claim that it becomes difficult for them to breathe, there is a feeling "like someone stepped on the chest." Very often people think that a heart attack causes pain only in the sternum and unpleasant discomfort in the left arm. You should know that negative sensations can appear in any other parts of the body: in the shoulders, in the throat, in the upper part of the peritoneum, in the jaws, teeth, back.
2. Strong sweating, perspiration. Pay attention when there is such a symptom. Of particular concern is the increased sweating in a person in a cool room, and not in the heat. Pointing out problems can evaporate, which appeared in the absence of physical activity. Strong sweating causes blockage of the arteries. The heart needs to make more effort to pump blood in a sufficient amount. To maintain normal temperature with additional workload, the body releases a large amount of sweat. If you encounter such a problem, be sure to consult a doctor.
3. Dyspnea. If such attacks occur after a small load (climbing a couple of floors, walk), you need to consult a doctor. Very often, shortness of breath is a symptom of a heart disease. Especially if it is accompanied by severe fatigue and pain in the chest. Women are more likely to experience similar symptoms. It is shortness of breath and fatigue that usually warns of an impending heart attack.

Additional symptoms

With a classic attack often occur:

1. Problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Very often before the attack, there are disorders in the digestive tract. There may be indigestion, heartburn, nausea. These symptoms are often combined with dizziness. However, do not forget that such a symptomatology can be inherent in a number of pathologies.
2. Numbness of fingers on hands. Can only cover brushes. But sometimes numbness spreads over the shoulders and forearms.
3. Violated speech. A perfectly sober person begins to become tongue-tied. Speech becomes vague and incomprehensible.
4. Violation of motor coordination. The person loses control of the body. Most often it affects the neck, shoulders, hands. This condition is very similar to alcoholic intoxication. Especially if it is combined with vague speech. That's why people around are not always in a hurry to help a person who is in such a state. This is very dangerous, because precious precious minutes are lost.

If you pay attention in time to the above main symptoms of a heart attack, you can save a person's life. So do not pass by a person who needs your help.

Features of seizures in women

More often than not, people present a heart attack as a sudden, pronounced attack. If the pathology concerns representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, then the situation is somewhat different. Symptoms of heart attack in women are rarely pronounced. Most patients transfer them, completely ignoring them.

This is dictated by the fact that the signs of an ailment are in most cases blurred. Therefore, women do not notice them and do not take them seriously. In addition, the symptoms are slightly different from the signs characterizing an attack in men.

Alarm signals

Pay attention, what are the first symptoms of a heart attack in women:

1. Strong fatigue, practically knocking out of the rut.
2. Disturbed sleep, insomnia. This condition can be observed even after severe fatigue. These symptoms appear about a month before the attack.
3. Increased anxiety, an exaggeration, a feeling of stress.
4. Disturbance of digestion, the appearance of nausea in a normal diet.
5. Weakness, sticky, sweaty skin.
6. Difficulty breathing during normal exercise or climbing stairs.
7. The appearance of pain in the neck, face, jaw, ears. Discomfort can extend to the hands, shoulders. It resembles the state of stretching of muscle tissue.

How to help yourself?

If you observe the above described signs of a heart attack in women, do not expect an aggravation of the condition. The most correct decision is to consult a doctor and get qualified help.

Remember that the doctor needs to report all the symptoms that appear. In addition, it is important to name factors that can aggravate the condition (genetic predisposition, smoking, hypertension).

If you have an attack

What if I caught a heart attack by surprise? Symptoms, first aid are moments that every person should know well. After all, the account goes for a minute.

First aid consists of the following activities:

1. Immediately call the ambulance. Even if you do not know how to help yourself, the dispatcher will explain to you what to do before the arrival of doctors.
2. Contact family members who are able to come to you immediately if the attack begins when you are alone.
3. Take an aspirin tablet (325 mg). The pill should be chewed so that she will act quickly.
4. Take a tablet of nitroglycerin. If a positive effect is not observed, you can reapply the medicine. The third pill is allowed to drink only if the pain does not subside within 10 minutes after using the second pill.
5. Try to stay calm. The panic and fear characteristic of the attack complicate the condition. Remember that the help is already hurrying to you. You can focus on the heartbeat count. It's soothing.
6. Stay in a supine position, on your back. In this case, it is advisable to lift the legs higher by placing a pillow or other object under them. This will open the diaphragm, and oxygen will better enter the blood.
7. Take deep breaths and even out.
8. If possible, it is recommended to open a window to ensure fresh air.

What you can not do

If symptoms of a heart attack in women are observed, it is not enough to know how to act in such a situation. It should be remembered that is categorically contraindicated:

• Get up or move around;
• Smoking;
• To get behind the wheel;
• Use aspirin, if there is intolerance to the drug or is diagnosed with exacerbation of gastritis, ulcers;
• Take nitroglycerin in case of low blood pressure, headache, pain, speech disorders, coordination, vision;
• Drink beverages or food.

Help to a close

What if you have something wrong with a person before your eyes and you suspect a heart attack?

Symptoms in women, treatment is often perceived by such individuals is not serious. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that they will begin to refuse to call a doctor and protest against the need to take a horizontal position.

Your actions should be as quick and clear as possible:

1. Call the ambulance.
2. Place the patient on a horizontal surface, placing any object under your feet. Take care that the patient does not get up.
3. Unbutton the collar, the belt.
4. Ensure a fresh air supply by opening the window. Turn on the fan.
5. Try to calm and reassure the victim.

Be sure to do all the activities described above. And remember that the further life of this person depends on your actions.