In women, the infarction does not necessarily manifest itself as in men. Symptoms are often atypical, difficult to identify. And this, especially since women feel less concerned by cardiovascular disease. Nicole, 65, suffered a heart attack. She testifies.
Commonly called “heart attack“, L’myocardial infarction corresponds to the obstruction of one of the two coronary arteries which supply the heart with blood and oxygen. To date, cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death among women in France, ahead of breast cancer. However, the infarction remains mainly associated with a male pathology, and its symptoms in women, different or even atypical, remain unknown. Hence the importance ofincrease prevention to recognize warning signs.
“All of a sudden, I had cold sweats, a strong pain in the jaw”
When Nicole, 65, was a victim three years ago, it took her a while to understand what was happening to her and was a little late in calling for help. residing in Auvergne, this retired seamstress was at home cooking when she began to feel unwell. “All of a sudden, I had cold sweata severe jaw pain and a big want to vomit. I did not understand what was happening. First I stamped on the floor to try to warn my husband but he did not show up. I knew later that he was actually at the bottom of the garden“, she recalls. After a few minutes of suffering, she finally decided to call for help. A few minutes later, the SAMU arrived and the diagnosis was made: myocardial infarction. “The doctors explained the situation to my husband who was about to go up the stairs to warn me that he was going fishing. After giving me first aid, the medical team took me to the hospital. Once there, the doctors placed me directly on the operating table and hooked me up. They shaved my pubis, telling me that if they couldn’t go through the radial artery, they would go through the groin. They finally got me a stent (small spring of a few millimeters) at the level of the coronary arteries via the radial artery, located at the level of the wrist. Of course I was under local anesthesia“, she says.
“I had no heart risk factors”
“I did not have no obstruction, no cholesterol, no hypertension nor anything, I had no cardiac risk factorsmy artery was narrowed on her own, probably under stress. My cardiologist explained to me that my infarction was directly linked to my rheumatoid arthritis“, recalls Nicole. Suffering from rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 30, Nicole was aware that her permanent inflammatory state predisposed her this kind of complications but she did not think it would happen to her because she was regularly followed for her disease. Indeed, in this autoimmune disease that progresses in flare-ups, all the joints are affected, resulting in intense pain and deformity. A pathology that can be revealed very disabling on a daily basis. She nevertheless had warning signs like dizziness and feeling sick, fatigue, a few days before the occurrence of his myocardial infarction. “I am stayed 4 days in intensive care, then I was hospitalized for 10 days. I underwent a whole bunch of exams, including a Doppler ultrasound to ensure the patency of the stent“, she continues.
“I took 18 months to recover”
“Afterwards, I was very tired, I put 18 months recovering. I’m only at 60% of my lung capacity. Even still today, I can’t climb a hill or stairs in one sitting, I have to stop and I am unable to speak when I arrive“, confides Nicole. Since then, she takes a lifelong treatment to preserve your heartin particular from Kardegican antiplatelet agent, Bisoprolol a beta blockers which helps protect the heart from heart failure, and another medicine for blood pressure, although she doesn’t have high blood pressure. Nicole makes exercise to maintain your heart : she walks regularly and does 10km of exercise bike per day.
Thanks to Nicole for her testimony. Interview on December 15, 2021.