Now their data is less skewed. Women's heart attack symptoms aren't as cut and dry as with men. Yes, women could get the chest pains and numbness in the left arm, but a variety of other symptoms are also possible. Abdominal pain, back pain, indigestion, and pain on the right side of the body are just a few among the many indicators of heart trouble in women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, not cancer.
Heart attacks kill more women than men in the later years of life.
Even now, with all the new information available about heart disease and women, most doctors still don't take women seriously when they complain of feeling sick or having discomfort. We've all heard of the horror stories about a man who goes to the doctor for a check up, gets a clean bill of health, only to suffer a heart attack outside of the doctor's office. But women, who are far more likely to visit their doctors, are still being sent home with platitudes and placebos rather than exploratory exams. It takes time to diagnose heart trouble in women. Women themselves have to learn to be more assertive about their symptoms.