For a long time, myocardial infarction has been associated with people who are often sedentary and do not respect a healthy lifestyle. It is not so ! In fact, it is even women who die more from cardiovascular disease. On the occasion of World Heart Day (September 20), the French Federation of Cardiology (FFC) wanted to recall the symptoms that may indicate a heart attack in women, which are different from those in men...
Myocardial infarction occurs when part of the heart is no longer supplied with blood and oxygen, because one of its coronary arteries is blocked by a blood clot or a plaque of fat and cholesterol. The warning signs common to both sexes are generally intense pain in the chest with a feeling of tightness, pain that radiates to the left arm or dizziness. But the woman is prone to other symptoms such as shortness of breath or palpitations on exertion and sometimes at rest, nausea, vomiting, sweating, pain in the pit of the stomach, or great fatigue persistent and unusual.
The FFC also points out that women do not always pay attention to these signs:"Most of the time, they neglect these manifestations, wrongly associating them with stress, fatigue or even digestive problems" explains Professor Claire Mounier- Vehier, president of the French Cardiology Federation. She adds:“It’s a real waste of luck, because women recover more difficultly. Their arteries are more difficult to revascularize, finer and more fragile than those of men…”.After a heart attack, women are more likely to die or have another cardiovascular accident in the following year, compared man. It is therefore very important for the woman to spot these signs, so that she can be treated in time. Good to know:the risk factors of smoking, the association of tobacco with the contraceptive pill, stress, a lack of regular physical activity, diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure considerably increase the risk of contracting a heart attack.
We invite you to watch the FFC video, which shows a casting during which women are invited to play different emotions. None of them manage to "mimic" the infarction. A good way to remember your symptoms…
