Heart Disease Symptoms in Women |  | 
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Although heart disease is often thought of as a man's disease, more women than men die of heart disease each year. One challenge is that the heart disease symptoms in women can look and feel different from symptoms in men. Fortunately, women can take steps to understand their unique symptoms of heart disease and to begin to reduce their risk of heart disease.
While the most common symptom for both genders is discomfort in the chest or upper body, women may also experience:
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Neck, jaw, shoulder, or upper back pain
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Shortness of breath
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Nausea
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Abdominal pain or heartburn
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Sweating and dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
These symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain typically associated with heart attacks. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart - a condition called small vessel heart disease or microvascular disease.
Often, female heart attack patients arrive in emergency rooms after much heart damage has already occurred because their symptoms are not those typically associated with a heart attack. Most heart attacks begin with mild symptoms - call 9-1-1 if symptoms persist. Getting treatment quickly minimizes damage to your heart and improves your chances of survival.
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