A heart attack — when blood doesn’t reach part of the heart muscle — is a medical emergency for everyone, but the symptoms that women experience can be easy to ignore.

Men often experience the classic sign of a heart attack — crushing chest pain. But some women may not. Their symptoms, such as nausea, shortness of breath and back or jaw pain, tend to be misdiagnosed — until it’s too late, according to the American Heart Association. Women also tend to fare worse after a heart attack, though researchers aren’t sure why.

Take Heart
Your gender doesn’t determine your destiny. Experts say that 80% of cardiovascular diseases — which include heart attacks — are preventable. You can take good care of your heart by:

• Not smoking
• Managing your weight
• Exercising regularly
• Eating a healthy diet that’s low in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium
• Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar

Safer Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery
Columbus Regional Health now offers transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a noninvasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic valve. Talk with your provider or cardiologist to see whether this procedure is right for you. Learn more about TAVR.