She knew a lot about heart disease and the importance of diet and exercise. Collier's husband, who died from congestive heart failure last month, had suffered a mild stroke in 1977. And she's proud that she keeps improving her vital signs while exercising on a treadmill. C ollier and Smedley were so concerned about women's ignorance of heart disease that they became national spokeswomen for the heart association, sharing Smedley's story and encouraging women to learn about their risks. But nobody gets a stress test.
Many women tend to ignore their body's warning signs.
One reason is that women's symptoms are often more subtle than men's. Typically, men experience a chest-crushing pain accompanied by numbness running down the left arm. Their symptoms can be brought on by physical exertion. L ike Smedley, many women experience a mild tightening in their chest that is not painful. These fleeting moments often occur in the morning or at times when the women are not doing anything physically strenuous.