Heart Attack Survivor Shares Warning Signs for Women

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CLEVELAND - In a matter of minutes, 56-year-old Pamela Kays went from working as a NICU nurse to being rushed to the emergency department for a heart attack.

“I kept looking at the clock and thinking I don't feel well, and my jaw felt really tight and was hurting, and then I started to feel the heaviness in my chest and that’s when I knew,” said Pamela.

Pamela doesn't remember much from that fateful day, but was told later on that a major artery in her heart was completely blocked.

Now that she’s recovered, she wants to share her story with others.

“I really want to reach out to women especially. Men tend to recognize the signs of heart attack much easier,” she said.

But, why is that?

“70% of women have similar symptoms as men, chest pressure, chest tightness, but women are more likely to have atypical symptoms,” explained Leslie Cho, MD, cardiologist for Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Cho said atypical symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, sweating profusely, jaw pain, stomach pain and back pain.

“The other interesting thing we found is men, when they feel these symptoms they call 911, they go to the hospital, women were more likely to call their family or their friends,” she noted.

And that’s a major concern when every second counts.

“The heart muscle starts dying after 15 minutes, so it's really important if you're having symptoms that you get seen right away, so we help save the heart,” said Dr. Cho.