Heart disease is a growing problem in the world as more and more people succumb to the stresses of living in a fast-paced society with poor nutrition, less sleep and even less exercise.

Heart disease is a leading killer and heart attacks are the most visible sign of heart disease. The American Heart Association predicts that 700,000 people would have their first heart attack in 2004 and their prediction was very close to the mark.

Heart disease in men and women has different signs and symptoms. Both can experience atypical symptoms, or those symptoms that aren’t otherwise thought of as typical.

Classic signs of a heart attack will be pain the chest, left arm, epigastric pain that can mimic really bad heart burn, crushing chest pain and even abdominal pain. People may experience being short of breath, pain in the jaw, nausea, chills, sweating or cold, clammy skin. Continue reading →

Symptoms of heart disease in women are often different than those that are considered typical for men. This appears to be the case because most of the initial research on heart disease, and therefore the recording of signs, symptoms and conditions, were recorded from men.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in American women, greater in number than cancer. More women than men die each year of cardiovascular disease.

The most common symptoms of coronary artery disease is angina or chest pain. People describe the experience as a discomfort, heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, fullness, or squeezing.

Although angina is usually felt in the chest in men women can also feel the pain in the left shoulder, arms, neck, back or jaw. Continue reading →