Cardiovascular disease is a leading threat to women’s health in the U.S., yet subtle symptoms often result in delayed recognition and response during cardiac events.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States, claiming one life every 80 seconds and affecting one in three women, according to the American Heart Association. However, medical professionals say the warning signs are still too often overlooked.
On this Wellness Wednesday, with February marking American Heart Month, health experts are urging women to take their heart health seriously, warning that the symptoms women experience during a cardiac event can differ significantly from those more commonly associated with heart attacks.
Christy Cantey, a nurse practitioner at Huntsville Hospital Heart Center, said women may experience fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, dizziness and cold sweats. These are symptoms that don’t always mirror those seen in men.
“So not always the symptoms that you would see possibly in a male,” Cantey said.
The American Heart Association says those subtle differences can make it easier for women to dismiss what they’re feeling.
“I think back to some of my former coworkers who have experienced heart disease, and often times they were feeling the physical effects, but they thought, ‘Oh, it’s just a muscle. I’ll just move on. There’s nothing to worry about,’” said Katiya McKinney of the American Heart Association.
Beyond recognition, experts say there’s another disparity to address: women are statistically less likely than men to receive bystander CPR during a cardiac emergency.
“Women are less likely to receive bystander CPR than men, statistically. And so we want to take this time to empower not just women, but men in general, to not feel afraid,” said Stephanie Cline of the American Heart Association.
Local CPR training organization ‘Go Rescue‘ is working to close that gap by teaching community members the basics of hands-on response. Instructors emphasize maintaining a compression rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute, a rhythm often taught using the beat of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”, while pressing down two to 2.5 inches using the heel of the hand with elbows kept straight.
If an automated external defibrillator, or AED, is available, instructors recommend performing two minutes of CPR before allowing the device to reanalyze the heart and determine whether a shock should be delivered, then continuing compressions afterward.
