Cardiovascular Chest Pain in Women — Differences to Keep in Mind

Clinical Takeaway

: Chest pain is just as common in women as men, despite longstanding beliefs about atypical presentations.

Context

Women presenting with chest pain are often underdiagnosed and undertreated because of sex-related differences in presenting symptoms, testing, and treatment. As a result, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide. A recent review of the literature highlights factors contributing to the problem.

Key Points

Presentation

Women are often thought to have atypical presentations of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but when chest pain is broadly defined to include pressure, tightness, and discomfort, women report it just as often as men (in ≈90% of suspected ACS).
Women are more likely than men to present >3 hours after chest-pain onset and to report associated symptoms, including nausea, epigastric pain…

Reviewing Author

Kathleen Finn, M.D., M.Phil., S.F.H.M.

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAlliance for Academic Internal Medicine (Chair, APDIM Survey and Scholarship Committee)