Women experience different heart attack symptoms than men

This large study of 3,501 adults who had confirmed heart attacks found that women presented with many more distinct combinations of symptoms than men — roughly 50% more unique symptom patterns by interview, replicated in the medical record data. The study does not tell us why women's symptoms vary more, but consistently shows that they do, across multiple subgroups and two independent data sources.

• Adults over 55 not studied: findings may not apply to older heart attack patients
• Women and men differed clinically at baseline: women were more likely to have a less severe heart attack type (NSTEMI) and atypical chest pain, which were not fully adjusted for in the main analysis
• Observational design: association between sex and symptom pattern diversity is well-documented here, but the cause of that difference remains unknown
• Examples of symptoms more common in women: nausea/vomiting, fatigue, and jaw pain appeared significantly more often in women than men (all p<.001)