Most women believe their greatest risk to be breast cancer when in reality twice as many women will die each year from heart disease than all forms of cancer combined and 12 times more than breast cancer kills. The most recent studies show one in ten American women between the age of 45-64 have some form of heart disease and at the age of 65 this number increases to one in four. Women also present unique prevention and treatment challenges because of their physical and hormonal makeup and the fact that they live longer than do men. One sign, angina, is a feeling of squeezing, pressure or tightness most often located in the chest, neck, throat, or upper abdomen. It can spread around to the arms, shoulders, and back.
Some women complain of a numbness or tingling feeling.
Symptoms may also include unexplained fatigue or weakness, nausea, indigestion or heartburn, sweating and shortness of breath. These signs or symptoms can occur at any time not only during or after exercise. If you think you are experiencing any symptoms of a heart attack call 911 immediately. Smoking has been found to be the most important risk factor for heart attacks in women. People who smoke increase their risk of heart attacks 2 to 4 times compared to nonsmokers.