Women, young adults misinterpret chest pain, study finds

November 6, 2012 in Cardiology

Women, young adults misinterpret chest pain: study

Females also less likely to be told they might have heart disease.

(HealthDay)—Women with chest pain are more likely than men to wait more than a day to seek care, a new study finds.

And, not surprisingly, young adults are less likely than to think that their chest pain may be related to , the researchers said.

Both women and men sought care because their symptoms persisted, but women were less likely than men to seek care because they suspected heart disease, study author Judith Lichtman of the Yale University School of Public Health and colleagues pointed out in a news release from the American Heart Association.

For the study, the researchers interviewed nearly 3,000 people, aged 18 to 55, who were hospitalized for heart attack in 104 U.S. hospitals between 2008 and 2012. Ninety percent of the men and 87 percent of the women had experienced chest pain, pressure, tightness or discomfort with their heart attack.

The investigators also found that:

  • Symptoms led nearly one-third of women and 20 percent of men to visit their doctor before their .

  • Women were less likely to recall discussing heart disease with their doctors, or to be told by health-care providers that their symptoms might be related to their heart.

  • Nearly 60 percent of the men and women did not think their symptoms were heart-related. Many women said they believed indigestion, stress or anxiety was the cause, while men cited indigestion or .
The study was scheduled for presentation Monday at the 's annual scientific meeting in Los Angeles.

The data and conclusions of research presented at meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information: The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about heart attack.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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