By Dana Dean
St. Louis (KSDK) -- A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that women who have heart attacks are more likely to die in the hospital.
Women are less likely to experience chest pain, one of the tell-tale symptoms of a heart attack. Researchers say lacking this symptom can delay treatment.And because women are less likely to get immediate treatmen, 15% of female heart attack patients die in the hospital, compared with 10% of men. The study tracked over 1 million patients.
According to the American Heart Association, women without chest pain may develop shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, light headedness and pain in the back or jaw.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the US, killing more than 1/3 of them. More women than men die of heart disease every year.
Kristin Seymour, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Barnes Jewish Hospital, said, "We had a woman come in under the age of 50 with jaw pain, she kept calling it toothache pain. Her primary physician referred her to a cardiologist, she came to our hospital, was worked up. And eventually, the patient was known to have a massive MI, a massive heart attack."
See your doctor and find out what your risk factors are.
KSDK