DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FEMALE AND MALE HEART ATTACKS

El infarto en hombres y mujeres

 

According to the WHO, the number of deaths related to cardiac problems has been increasing for more than 20 years. A worrying trend that makes cardiovascular diseases the leading cause of death in the world. To give a quantified example, 350 people die every day in Spain from cardiovascular diseases, which adds up to an overall figure of 125,000 victims per year.

Heart attacks have increased among the population between 40 and 50 years of age. It is increasingly common among young people due to the lack of control of cholesterol and triglycerides, which are responsible for the formation of atheroma plaques (a mass of fat, cholesterol, and other substances). At the moment, mortality due to infarction in hospitalized patients under 45 years of age is only 1.2%, but the scientific community is concerned that this could increase over the years.

Heart attack, infarction, or heart attack, is usually caused by a clot that hinders the functioning of the coronary arteries. These are the arteries that transport oxygen and blood to the heart. When blood flow is blocked, the heart cannot withstand the lack of oxygen and cardiac cells die. It has been shown in recent years that these infarctions do not present the same symptoms among men and women.

According to the Spanish Heart Foundation, men have a 30% chance of dying after a heart attack and, in the case of women, the figure is 50%. The perception of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction is very different. In women, there are very varied signs that make it more difficult to diagnose infarction in them. For this reason, it is said that female infarction is different and worse than male infarction.

3 INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN FEMALE INFARCTION

Sanitas indicates that the differences that exist in terms of mortality and prognosis of diseases between men and women are due to three factors. According to medical specialists:

  • Menopause: Estrogens act positively on all coronary risk factors and, during a woman’s childbearing years, are responsible for protecting her from cardiovascular disease. When menopause arrives, the body undergoes certain changes that make health more delicate. Estrogen protection decreases, multiplying cardiovascular risk.
  • Diffuse symptomatology: As we indicated a few lines above, myocardial infarction does not have the same symptoms in women as in men, and the lack of information about these differences and the confusion it can cause misleads both patients and specialists.
  • Asking for help when it is too late: Linked to the previous point, for a long time and still today, men are believed to be the part of the population most affected by heart attacks, and cardiovascular diseases are associated almost exclusively with them. This lack of knowledge causes many women to neglect or delay their check-ups with the specialist, as well as their heart health care.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE INFARCTION

The Spanish Heart Foundation indicates that the classic symptoms of infarction include:

– Oppressive chest pain.

– Oppressive pain in the gastric area.

– Possibility of radiating pain to the left arm or both arms.

– Sweating.

– Respiratory difficulties.

Men and women usually present the same chest pain in infarction, but women are more likely to have various other symptoms. There are substantial differences in the perception and description of symptoms between the two sexes. Women present and name a wide variety of signs. The most common are:

– Unusual fatigue.

– Breathing difficulties with chest pressure or pain that may come and go within minutes.

– Pain in one or both arms.

– Back pain.

– Neck pain.

– Jaw pain.

– Stomach pain.

– Cold sweat.

– Nausea.

– Dizziness.

– Fatigue.

– Epigastric pain.

In the days leading up to a heart attack, a woman may experience:

– Insomnia

– Anxiety

– Weakness

As in men, women feel chest pain or discomfort, but the difference is that, in the case of women, there is a greater tendency to experience other symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Cholesterol, age, diabetes, arterial hypertension, smoking, or obesity are factors that predispose to infarction. The risk increases in the case of women after menopause, which is why prevention is important. In the face of these symptoms, it is essential to seek medical attention without delay to be diagnosed and treated quickly.