Understanding the Unique Symptoms of Heart Disease in Women

It may not surprise you to know that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide.¹ Heart disease research and awareness have increased over the past few decades, thanks to research from various charities and advocacy groups. Typically, heart disease is viewed as something that predominantly affects men, but did you know that more women die of CVD every year than men? In fact, women are disproportionately affected by these diseases, with 1 in 5 deaths in women being attributable to various heart diseases.² Despite this startling statistic, women’s health and research publications often still direct their focus to ‘bikini boundary’ health conditions—diseases of the breasts, ovaries, cervix, and uterus—with less attention given to the detection, prevention, and treatment of other health conditions, such as cardiac conditions.³ 

We believe that heart disease treatment and prevention should focus on women just as much as men, and the research, publications, and treatment outcomes should reflect this. Only 44% of women recognize that heart disease is their number one cause of death.⁴ In fact, between 2009 and 2019 awareness of heart disease among women declined overall.⁵

On top of having a higher mortality rate from heart disease, women often have different symptoms when compared to men.⁵ While some common symptoms, such as chest pain, occur for both women and men, women are more likely to experience different symptoms or have atypical symptoms. In fact, when having a Heart Attack women are more likely than men to experience symptoms other than chest pain. Those such as pain in the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or upper abdomen, shortness of breath, pain in the arms, nausea and/or vomiting, lightheadedness, fatigue, indigestion, and sweating are all Heart Attack symptoms more specific to women.⁶  

Heart disease in women also more often presents as microvascular disease or small artery disease/small vessel disease. This form of heart disease has different symptoms than those typically associated with the traditional understanding of heart disease. Women are more likely to experience shortness of breath, fatigue, indigestion or nausea, back or neck pain, and chest discomfort—rather than crushing pain.⁷

Another factor that may contribute to a general lack of awareness of the lethality of heart disease in women is that symptoms of CVD typically develop about a decade later for women. This has created a false narrative that CVD is more common in men and has led to a general lack of awareness of heart disease symptoms in women.⁸ The difference in the severity of symptoms between women and men could also be a contributing factor, with some studies suggesting that symptoms of heart disease in women may be more subtle.⁹

On top of the physical symptoms of heart disease, some studies have found that women are more likely to experience severe depression when diagnosed with heart disease, as compared to men.¹⁰

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, when it comes to heart disease, women “. . .have been left behind because they are under-researched, under-diagnosed and under-treated, and under-supported during recovery.”¹¹ Early detection of heart disease symptoms is vital for effective diagnosis and treatment. After all, women deserve to feel empowered on their healthcare journey just as much as men.

With this in mind, Myant created a Digital Health Platform that allows all heart disease patients to detect and track early signs and symptoms of heart disease and the ability to share this information with a cardiologist or loved ones. By wearing Myant Health’s SkiinTM  Undergarments women can tap into this platform, monitor their ECG and biometric health data, and share it remotely. If they are experiencing significant or unusual fatigue, they can determine whether it is something to be concerned about by tracking their sleep patterns, steps and activity levels in the Skiin Connected Life App. In addition, by closely tracking symptoms such as nausea, chest pain or discomfort, and lightheadedness in the SkiinTM  App, they can monitor potential early signs of CVD and share them with a cardiologist for their interpretation and analysis. To learn more about how SkiinTM  and Myant Health is giving women the tools they need on their journey toward improved heart health visit myanthealth.com.

1. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). (2021, June 11). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
2. Women and Heart Disease. (2022, October 14). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/women.htm
3. Hallam, L., Vassallo, A., Pinho-Gomes, A. C., Carcel, C., & Woodward, M. (2022). Does Journal Content in the Field of Women’s Health Represent Women’s Burden of Disease? A Review of Publications in 2010 and 2020. Journal of Women’s Health, 31(5), 611–619. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0425
4. Cushman, M., Shay, C. M., Howard, V. J., Jiménez, M. C., Lewey, J., McSweeney, J. C., Newby, L. K., Poudel, R., Reynolds, H. R., Rexrode, K. M., Sims, M., & Mosca, L. J. (2021b). Ten-Year Differences in Women’s Awareness Related to Coronary Heart Disease: Results of the 2019 American Heart Association National Survey: A Special Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(7). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000907
5. Cushman, M., Shay, C. M., Howard, V. J., Jiménez, M. C., Lewey, J., McSweeney, J. C., Newby, L. K., Poudel, R., Reynolds, H. R., Rexrode, K. M., Sims, M., & Mosca, L. J. (2021). Ten-Year Differences in Women’s Awareness Related to Coronary Heart Disease: Results of the 2019 American Heart Association National Survey: A Special Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(7). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000907
6. Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors. (2022, January 20). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease/art-20046167
7. Coronary Microvascular Disease (MVD). (2022, March 8). www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/angina-chest-pain/coronary-microvascular-disease-mvd
8. Zhao, M., Woodward, M., Vaartjes, I., Millett, E. R. C., Klipstein‐Grobusch, K., Hyun, K., Carcel, C., & Peters, S. A. E. (2020). Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Medication Prescription in Primary Care: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(11). https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.119.014742
9. Jurgens, C. Y., Lee, C. S., Aycock, D. M., Masterson Creber, R., Denfeld, Q. E., DeVon, H. A., Evers, L. R., Jung, M., Pucciarelli, G., Streur, M. M., & Konstam, M. A. (2022). State of the Science: The Relevance of Symptoms in Cardiovascular Disease and Research: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 146(12). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000001089
10. Smolderen, K. G., Strait, K. M., Dreyer, R. P., D’Onofrio, G., Zhou, S., Lichtman, J. H., Geda, M., Bueno, H., Beltrame, J., Safdar, B., Krumholz, H. M., & Spertus, J. A. (2015). Depressive Symptoms in Younger Women and Men With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Insights From the VIRGO Study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.114.001424
11. 2018 Heart Report news release. (2018, February 1). Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/what-we-do/media-centre/news-releases/2018-heart-report-news-release