Women warned about heart attack symptoms they usually ignore that come on a month earlier

Women are being warned about the early signs of a heart attack which could present themselves up to a month before the actual attack.

A new study published in Circulation, a scientific journal for the American Heart Association, has highlighted that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and advocated for more public awareness of the warning signs.

Meanwhile, the British Heart Foundation's research found that while women have around half the number of heart attacks as men, it's still twice as deadly to them as breast cancer.

Their research also found that a woman was 50 percent more likely to receive the wrong diagnosis following a heart attack.

Along with that they found women having a heart attack were more likely to delay seeking medical help as they didn't recognise the symptoms.

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This means women are less likely to receive life saving treatments in time and less likely to be prescribed medication which could prevent a second heart attack.

While chest pain is a common symptom of a heart attack and perhaps the most recognisable, the Circulation study noted that 39 percent of women experienced indigestion in the month leading up to a heart attack.

It's not something they felt during the attack itself but in the days or weeks leading up to it, meaning indigestion could serve as a potential early warning sign.

However, it's not the most common one which could leave you needing to be more aware of your health, as the study found that more than seven in 10 women felt unusually fatigued in the month before a heart attack.

Around half experienced some form of sleep disturbance, while just over four in 10 felt a shortness of breath.

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The study worked with over 20,000 people aged between 45 and 79 for a grand total of 11 years.

As for their advice on how to reduce the risk of heart disease, the biggest lifestyle change someone could make was to quit smoking.

Having the right diet also helped, as one packed full of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, low-fat dairy, whole grains and fish was a very good idea.

If you think you're having a heart attack then you really ought to call 999, while if you're having symptoms which are making you worried then the number to dial is 111.

Crucially, it's better to get checked out than to delay and end up dead.

Topics: Health

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker