Young Women In Dark About Heart Disease

A new study indicates women in their 30s, 40s and 50s may have a lot to learn about heart disease and its danger signs.

On The Early Show Friday, medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reported that this was a pilot study, meaning it wasn't very large. It looked at 24 women who were 55 and younger. All had survived heart attacks.

"So," Senay explained, "the point of the study isn't really to draw broad statistical conclusions. It's really to look at the quality of the answers that these women gave to researchers when they asked about their experience with heart disease, and it was really very, very surprising.

"Even though many of these women were having real chest pain, the type you would think they would associate with heart disease, only 40 percent even considered the heart as a possibility of the cause of their symptoms. Only half the women sought medical attention within the first hour of the onset of their symptoms. Many of the women said they were embarrassed to seek attention … (in case) the problem was completely something else.

"The bottom line is that they really didn't make a connection between their symptoms, their own risk factors, and the fact they were having a heart attack."

Why?

"You know," Senay responded, "again and again, they survey women and they ask them. 'What do you think is your biggest threat?' Many times, women say it's breast cancer. But heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It kills more women than all cancers combined. Most women understand or think it's a problem that happens to women at an older age. That's generally true. It tends to happen to women who are beyond menopause.

"But heart disease happens in younger women. And, even though it represents only a tiny fraction of the total problem, because it's such an enormous problem, we're talking about tens of thousands of women. Forty thousand women are hospitalized every year under age 55 with heart disease. Sixteen thousand women in this age category die from heart disease.

"And another interesting thing about this study: They went back and asked about their family histories. Ninety percent of these women had strong family histories, which you think would have helped them make the link to their own risk. But for whatever reason, they didn't."

Senay stressed signs women should be aware of that point to possible heart attacks.

"Everyone knows the Hollywood heart attack. You grip your chest. That's sort of like the classic thing," she said. "But the pressure can go not only into the chest, but into the stomach, the arm, the back, the neck, the jaw. Many people experience shortness of breath. Sometimes that's their only symptom. Cold sweats, nausea, light-headedness. Many people talk about a sense of impending doom. What's important for women to know, particularly younger women, is they may not experience that Hollywood scenario. They may have some of the vaguer symptoms. And that can make it hard for them to make the connection, and their doctors, too."

If a woman experiences those symptoms, what should she do?

"Call 911. Don't call the neighbor. Don't hope for it to pass," she said. "If you experience these symptoms, call 911. There's a lot they can do on the way to the hospital to help save heart muscle, and that's what it's all about."