Patient Education Outpatient Cardiac Rehab | Page 15

Coronary Artery Disease in Women Notes ___________________________________ Before women reach menopause, estrogen helps protect the vessels and heart. After menopause, the risk for heart disease rises. Diagnosing and treating heart disease can be more difficult in women. Research is beginning to suggest that women may have smaller vessels involved in heart disease than do men. This may explain why women often don’t have crushing chest pain. The symptoms that are often seen in women include: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Excessive fatigue ___________________________________ Light-headedness or dizziness ___________________________________ Upper back or shoulder pain ___________________________________ Shortness of breath with activity ___________________________________ Feeling of fullness, indigestion or heartburn, or choking feeling ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Nausea or vomiting ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ 14