Women frequently experience prodromal symptoms such as unusual fatigue and shortness of breath prior to MI, highlighting the need for improved clinical recognition to aid in early diagnosis.
Prodromal symptoms may aid MI recognition in women; cross-sectional data leaves open need for prospective validation before practice change.
This study described women's prodromal and acute symptoms associated with myocardial infarction (MI) based on interviews with 76 women who had experienced an MI in the previous year. Sixty-eight women experienced prodromal symptoms including unusual fatigue (70%), shortness of breath (53%), and pain in the shoulder blade/upper back (47%). All women experienced acute symptoms including chest pain/discomfort (90%), unusual fatigue (59%), shortness of breath (59%), and shoulder blade/upper back discomfort (42%). Although women in this study reported numerous prodromal symptoms, none had received a new diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) prior to MI. Practitioners must develop an awareness of and a more comprehensive approach to treating women at risk for CHD. Further research to elucidate prodromal and acute symptom clusters is needed to assist practitioners in early diagnosis of CHD in women.
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McSweeney et al. (2001) studied this question.
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