Women with heart disease

Women with Coronary Artery disease (i.e., blockages of blood vessels to the heart) possibly leading up to a heart attack exhibit frequently a higher morbidity than men, i.e., they become more sick that men despite having similar features of the disease. There are multiple reasons for his phenomenon. One of the major culprits is the discrepancy of symptoms between women and men.  A typical symptom of Coronary Artery Disease is Chest Pain. Women seem to exhibit symptoms which are typically not associated with Coronary Artery  Disease, such as fatigue, lack of energy, dizziness or lightheadedness, nausea, right arm pain, upper back or abdominal discomfort, shoulder pain or shortness of breath.

L. Iri Kupferwasser MD FACC FESC