Know the symptoms
Heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have any symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, call 911 right away.
Heart disease and women (PDF, 129 KB)
Heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have any symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, call 911 right away.
Heart disease and women (PDF, 129 KB)
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In the United States, almost one in four women dies from heart disease. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in American women.1 Some types of heart problems are more common in women.
"Heart disease" refers to several types of problems that affect the heart. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD). Heart disease is also called cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes diseases of the blood vessels, which carry blood to different parts of your body. These include coronary artery disease, vascular (peripheral artery) disease, and stroke.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is also called coronary heart disease. CAD is the most common type of heart disease. In CAD, plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle. Over time, this buildup causes the arteries to narrow and harden, a process called atherosclerosis (ath-UH-roh-skluh-ROH-sis). Atherosclerosis prevents the heart from getting all the blood and oxygen it needs. This can lead to angina (an-JEYE-nuh), or chest pain.
Certain types of heart problems affect women more than men.
About 4 million women in the United States suffer from angina (chest pain and discomfort).4 Angina also affects men, but women are more likely than men to get two specific types of angina: stable and variant (Prinzmetal's) angina.
Cardiac syndrome X is a health problem that happens when people with healthy, unblocked arteries have chest pain (angina) and coronary artery spasms. A spasm is when the artery pinches itself closed.
The cause of cardiac syndrome X is not known. Some possible causes include:
Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy (or takotsubo cardiomyopathy), can happen even if you're healthy. Researchers do not know the exact cause of broken heart syndrome. Symptoms are often triggered by extreme stress, such as intense grief, anger, or surprise. Women are more likely than men to experience broken heart syndrome. Experts think that a surge of stress hormones "stuns" the heart, causing intense, short-lived symptoms that usually don't cause permanent damage to the heart.
Most women who experience broken heart syndrome are older, between 58 and 75 years old.7 This is probably due to a drop in estrogen levels after menopause.
Broken heart syndrome can be misdiagnosed as a heart attack. The symptoms and test results are similar, but there are no blocked heart arteries. Instead, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges while the rest of the heart works normally. Broken heart syndrome can lead to short-term heart failure, but it is usually easily treatable.
The most common symptom of heart disease is chest pain or discomfort. However, some women who have coronary artery disease (CAD) have no symptoms. This is called silent CAD. Silent CAD may not be diagnosed until a woman has symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
The illustration in the sidebar shows the major symptoms of heart disease that affect most women.
Call 911 right away if you have the symptoms of a heart attack. Talk to your doctor or nurse if you have any other symptoms of heart disease.
Heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have any symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, call 911 right away.
Heart disease and women (PDF, 129 KB)
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
To receive Heart Disease and Stroke email updates
The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2015 by:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute staff
Harlan Krumholz, M.D., Cardiologist, Director, Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital
Rachel Dreyer, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate in Medicine (Cardiology), Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale University
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: January 30, 2019.
In the United States, almost one in four women dies from heart disease. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in American women.1 Some types of heart problems are more common in women.
"Heart disease" refers to several types of problems that affect the heart. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD). Heart disease is also called cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes diseases of the blood vessels, which carry blood to different parts of your body. These include coronary artery disease, vascular (peripheral artery) disease, and stroke.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is also called coronary heart disease. CAD is the most common type of heart disease. In CAD, plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle. Over time, this buildup causes the arteries to narrow and harden, a process called atherosclerosis (ath-UH-roh-skluh-ROH-sis). Atherosclerosis prevents the heart from getting all the blood and oxygen it needs. This can lead to angina (an-JEYE-nuh), or chest pain.
Certain types of heart problems affect women more than men.
About 4 million women in the United States suffer from angina (chest pain and discomfort).4 Angina also affects men, but women are more likely than men to get two specific types of angina: stable and variant (Prinzmetal's) angina.
Cardiac syndrome X is a health problem that happens when people with healthy, unblocked arteries have chest pain (angina) and coronary artery spasms. A spasm is when the artery pinches itself closed.
The cause of cardiac syndrome X is not known. Some possible causes include:
Broken heart syndrome, also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy (or takotsubo cardiomyopathy), can happen even if you're healthy. Researchers do not know the exact cause of broken heart syndrome. Symptoms are often triggered by extreme stress, such as intense grief, anger, or surprise. Women are more likely than men to experience broken heart syndrome. Experts think that a surge of stress hormones "stuns" the heart, causing intense, short-lived symptoms that usually don't cause permanent damage to the heart.
Most women who experience broken heart syndrome are older, between 58 and 75 years old.7 This is probably due to a drop in estrogen levels after menopause.
Broken heart syndrome can be misdiagnosed as a heart attack. The symptoms and test results are similar, but there are no blocked heart arteries. Instead, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges while the rest of the heart works normally. Broken heart syndrome can lead to short-term heart failure, but it is usually easily treatable.
The most common symptom of heart disease is chest pain or discomfort. However, some women who have coronary artery disease (CAD) have no symptoms. This is called silent CAD. Silent CAD may not be diagnosed until a woman has symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
The illustration in the sidebar shows the major symptoms of heart disease that affect most women.
Call 911 right away if you have the symptoms of a heart attack. Talk to your doctor or nurse if you have any other symptoms of heart disease.
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