The top three symptoms of heart attacks in both women and men are chest pain, sweating, and shortness of breath, according to a comprehensive study by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
"Heart attack symptoms are often labeled 'typical' in men and 'atypical' in women," says study author Dr. Annemarijn de Boer from University Medical Center Utrecht. "But our findings reveal many similarities alongside some differences between sexes."
Regardless of gender, if you experience heart attack symptoms, act fast—call emergency services immediately.
Timely symptom recognition enables rapid, life-saving treatment for acute coronary syndrome. Prior research has shown mixed results on gender differences.
This analysis reviewed 27 high-quality studies over the past two decades on symptoms in patients with confirmed acute coronary syndrome (heart attack or unstable angina).
Beyond the top three shared symptoms, chest pain affected 79% of men and 74% of women.
Women were over twice as likely to report pain between the shoulder blades, 64% more likely to have nausea or vomiting, and 34% more likely to experience shortness of breath than men. While chest pain and sweating were most common in both, women were 30% less likely to have chest pain and 26% less likely to sweat.
The study did not explore reasons for variations, but Dr. de Boer notes: "Prior research indicates gender differences in heart attack mechanisms, but their link to symptoms warrants further investigation."
