Study: Chest Pain Similar for Women, Men

A new study finds that most men and women have similar chest pain or discomfort when they are having a heart attack. But there are other conditions that can cause chest pain. The study did not find any details about the type of pain that could help doctors tell whether a heart attack is the cause. The study included about 800 women and 1,700 men who went to emergency rooms with severe chest pain. Researchers asked detailed questions about their pain. The questions included where exactly the pain was located, whether it spread beyond the chest and what it felt like. About 18% of the women and 22% of the men were actually having a heart attack. Men’s and women’s answers to the detailed questions about symptoms also were mostly similar. No specific details about the chest pain were definitely linked with a greater chance of having a heart attack.