Signs of heart failure in women vs. men.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US. For men and women.

But are the signs the same?

If you ask the average individual on the street the question: What are the signs of a heart attack? … you will receive the answer: “A pain down your left arm.

But there are differences in the signs of a heart attack and knowing them can save your life.

First, we must get specific about heart disease, distinguishing between myocardial infarction and angina.

Myocardial infarction or heart attack is an episode of ischemia, which is when the blood supply to the heart becomes blocked or reduced and the heart muscle can’t get enough oxygen.

Angina is another type of cardiac event. This is when there is a temporary imbalance between the demand for oxygen to the cells of the heart muscle and the supply of oxygen to that muscle. This occurs when major cardiac blood vessels become clogged with plague and not enough blood and therefore oxygen can get though the heart.

For both men and women, shortness of breath and sudden fatigue can be early warning signs. This sign is an indication of lack of oxygen provided to the heart.

But a woman’s experience of angina is more of a dull, aching discomfort beneath the breast bone rather then the sharp pain men experience. And rather than a sudden bout of shortness of breath, a woman may experience chronic breathlessness or awaken in the middle of the night with difficulty catching her breath. Unexplained, generalized fatigue might be another symptom. To add on to this list, women may also suffer from abdominal discomfort or nausea and vomiting, or pain radiating into the jaw or neck; another pattern less typical for men.

The pattern of occurrence is different as well. It comes and goes in women with no obvious cause and may not improve with rest. In men, symptoms occur most frequently after exercise or exertion and improves with rest.

Don’t take pain or signs in your body lightly. If you think there might be something wrong, most likely you are right. And if someone does try to talk you out of symptoms, don’t listen to them and find the causes of the symptoms.

Nobody knows your body better then you do.

Even after you eat food. You might discover that your body doesn’t agree with some foods that were one of your favorites.

Fine tune yourself and listen to what is going on.

Stefan

Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” visit http://www.theaustrianadvantage.com/e-book1001.htm