Cardiovascular disease is the leading of death in Germany cause in women. Many deaths could be avoided if the symptoms are correctly interpreted. Women classic alarm signals, such as breast, however, often lack of pain, and nonspecific symptoms.
For women as for men: do not Hesitate if there are signs of a heart attack for too long with the emergency call 112, you risk your life. Women over 65 a recent study by the German centre for cardiovascular research, however, on average, an hour later in the emergency room than men.
The study authors concluded that there are several reasons for this huge delay: a life older women are often alone, and in the case of emergency anyone who brings you a heart attack help. On the other, they do not recognize the infarction often as such. The symptoms are especially, older women are often nonspecific: the typical strong pain in the chest, occurs less frequently. "Elderly heart attack patients feel more often, more of a pressure or tightness in the Brust", Prof. Dr. med explains. Christiane Tiefenbacher, chief doctor of the cardiology Department at the Marien-Hospital, Wesel. Is vomiting accompanies this often of upper abdominal discomfort, Nausea,, sweating, back pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
Typical Heart Attack Warning Signs
What: pain, the longer than five minutes to stop.
Where: in the chest, behind the breastbone. Sometimes just in the back or the upper abdomen. The pain may radiate into the arms, the neck or the belly.
Like: The pain-area and are as a burning and oppressive with a feeling of tightness in the chest described.
Since the discomfort in the chest are more pronounced in older women is less intense, the non-specific heart attack symptoms such as abdominal pain, Nausea and vomiting in the foreground. "This is not to be interpreted by the affected women rarely falsely as a harmless stomach upset. The life-saving emergency remains from – or only too late statt", Bacher says deep.
The cardiologist advises women to call in case of suspicion on a heart attack, the emergency services immediately on 112. Older women also have the option of a home emergency call system, such as is offered by the Malteser hilfsdienst, Johanniter, the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, German Red cross, and others.
NK