Rosie O’Donnell’s near-fatal heart attack has highlighted the need for women to recognize their symptoms – which often differ from men’s.
O’Donnell, 50, went to the hospital last week, one full day after ignoring her symptoms. Although she took a Bayer aspirin as a precautionary measure, she Googled women’s heart attack symptoms before deciding to go to the hospital.
A delay like that often means death, but O’Donnell had surgery and now is recovering at home—with healthy Grapenuts, according to People magazine’s website.
In a statement from the American Heart Association Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director for the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, outlined the signs of a woman’s heart attack. “Although men and women can experience chest pressure that feels like an elephant sitting across the chest, women can experience a heart attack without chest pressure. Instead they may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue.”
