ORLANDO, Fla – It’s a well-known fact that the holiday season can bring about an increase in fatal heart attacks. One contributing factor? Stress. Recent research sheds light on a crucial distinction: how women’s hearts respond to stress may differ significantly from men. So, what does that mean for women?
The whirlwind of holiday preparations, social gatherings, and heightened expectations can lead to overwhelming stress. For women, it’s imperative to recognize that their hearts react differently to stressors.
Dr. Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, from Emory School of Medicine, who played a pivotal role in the study, notes, “We discovered that actually women not only have different responses to the acute stressors, but some of these physiological responses are associated with adverse outcomes in women only.”
The study unearthed a striking revelation: women experienced more pronounced tightening in their small peripheral arteries compared to men under mental stress. This response was closely tied to more severe outcomes. Vaccarino emphasized, “It’s a female vulnerability to stress exposure that puts them at high risk that we don’t see this happening in men, at least not to the same extent.”
Further research highlighted that men and women might manifest different symptoms preceding a cardiac event. In women, difficulty breathing emerged as the predominant early warning sign linked to heart events. Conversely, men reported chest pain, breathing difficulties, and excessive sweating. It’s worth noting that previous studies have indicated women are more inclined to overlook warning signs, sometimes delaying seeking medical assistance for hours.
Experts emphasize the urgency of promptly dialing 9-1-1 upon experiencing symptoms like that of a heart attack. Doing so could be the crucial step that saves your life.