Marla Ahlgrimm on Heart Disease and Women

While heart disease is often thought of as a male-dominant health issue, it remains one of the leading causes of death among women, says Marla Ahlgrimm. It is frequently missed, however, because symptoms don't always fall into the “classic” warning signs that people expect. Understanding how heart disease looks different in women can help us recognize problems early and protect our long-term health.

Why Does Heart Disease Look Different In Women?

The simple answer is that the majority of early research on heart disease focused on men. Marla Ahlgrimm says that this resulted in a typical symptom profile being centered on biological males. Sudden chest pain with left arm pain, while not unheard of in women, tends to reflect a male heart problem pattern more than a female one.