Signs of heart disease may be more subtle in women than men

Signs of heart attack and stroke can vary and are more complicated in women

Symptoms of heart disease — the country's No. 1 killer — may be more subtle and varied in women than in men, according to a review published Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Understanding the differences in symptoms is particularly important for women. Corrine Jurgens, an author of the review and an associate professor at the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College, said that women tend to be diagnosed with heart disease later in life than men, when they may have other underlying conditions that could make identifying subtle symptoms of heart disease much more difficult.

What's more, a 2020 report, also published in Circulation, found a 10-year decline in awareness among women that heart disease is indeed their biggest health threat.

Why your sleep pattern is vital to your heart and brain healthJune 29, 202204:58"Many women are concerned about their breast cancer risk, and they perceive that as their greatest health threat," said Dr. Deirdre Mattina, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. But "we know that one in three women are going to die of heart disease" every year.

For both women and men, signs of heart problems rarely occur in isolation.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/signs-heart-disease-may-subtle-women-men-rcna43486

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