Scientists Have Made This SHOCKING Discovery About Heart Attacks In Women

One clear sign that of an impending heart attack is extreme chest pain – well, it is if you're a man. This classic symptom has been taken as one distinct sign that you should head to the hospital immediately.

But what do you do if symptoms of a heart attack mimic more common symptoms that you may feel every day? Doctors are beginning to announce that symptoms for women may be less clear-cut than originally thought, and they're caused by different things than in men. This is some pretty important information that you and your friends should know about heart attack risk in women.

For a woman, other symptoms like back pain, anxiety and even sweating may mark a developing heart attack.

Higher death rates may result from these types of symptoms that some people experience on an every day basis, given that they are overlooked and sometimes misdiagnosed.

Many of you may be wondering why women seem to be so different, or why this is just coming out now.

One odd reason is that heart disease is primarily studied in men. Clearly because a man's heart must be the most normal, right?

There also is a bias to inform men of heart attack risk, but women, not so much. In fact, in a large-scale study published in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology,researchers found that women aged 15-55 years old were 11% less likely than men to be told by a doctor that they are at risk for heart disease, when they were actually at risk.

Science is finally starting to get women the information they need and deserve. 

Most heart attacks are caused by clogged arteries. But in women, they are caused by many OTHER reasons...

Artery tearing contributes to heart attacks in women more so than in men.

This isn't just a slight increase in cases though. 80% of artery tearing occurs in women.

Yes, social demands placed on women can contribute to heart disease.

We all know that mothers tend to put others' health ahead of their own. It is known that women are less likely to complete cardiac rehabilitation because of competing family "duties."  This may also cause women to ignore their own symptoms, which are already less clear as mentioned previously.

Another heavy contributor to heart attacks in women is depression.

Women are much more likely to develop depression than men, and depression is known to thwart the recovery from a heart attack.  

So spread the word, because ignorance is not bliss when it comes to knowing about true signs of heart disease and attacks in women.

Do you worry about all the hard-working women in your life? Share to help protect them – and their loved ones!

Main image via Oxford Journals - Interactive CardioVasc Thoracic Surgery

Collage image via Hygeia