Named differences in symptoms before cardiac arrest in men and women

Men and women suffer from a variety of symptoms in the 24 hours before cardiac arrest – and this needs to be addressed because, experts warn, 90 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest at home die.

Experts warn that the symptoms of cardiac arrest vary between men and women. The study, which included more than 1,672 people, found that in women, the most prominent symptom of impending cardiac arrest is shortness of breath, while in men it is chest pain.

According to the Daily Mail, both men and women also experienced palpitations, seizure activity and flu-like symptoms.

A fatal complication in which the heart suddenly stops beating and deprives the rest of the body of oxygen-rich blood is responsible for about 450,000 deaths a year in the US.

Dr. Sumit Chew of Cedars-Sinai in California hopes her results will help people quickly identify signs of cardiac arrest and take immediate action.

Approximately 90 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest at home die from it, notes the Daily Mail.

However, a greater difference in symptoms between the sexes could help first responders more quickly detect loss of heart function in male and female patients.

Dr. Chew emphasizes, “Using warning signs to effectively triage those who need to call 911 could lead to early intervention and avert imminent death. Our findings could lead to a new paradigm for the prevention of sudden cardiac death.”

For this study, the scientists used two pre-existing and ongoing studies from California and Oregon, each designed by Dr. Chew.

The data was compiled from emergency medical records of people aged 18 to 85 who experienced a cardiac arrest witnessed by someone else between February 2015 and January 2021.

A California study found that 50 percent of 823 people had at least one characteristic symptom the day before. A study in Oregon found similar results.

In the latest study, researchers assessed the prevalence of individual symptoms and sets of symptoms prior to sudden cardiac arrest and compared those results with those of a control group who also presented to emergency care with symptoms that later turned out to be something else.

The researchers found that in women, difficulty breathing was the only early warning sign that was significantly associated with cardiac arrest. And in men, chest pain, shortness of breath, and increased sweating have been linked to cardiac arrest.

The study was published in the journal Lancet Digital Health.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating and deprives the rest of the body of oxygen-rich blood, cutting off blood flow to the brain and causing the person to lose consciousness.

When blood stops flowing to the brain, lungs and other vital organs, their function is significantly reduced, and key processes in the body necessary to maintain human life stop. Brain cells can die within minutes of being deprived of oxygen.

In the US, more than 356,000 cardiac arrests occur each year outside of hospitals. Cardiac arrest is different from heart attacks, which occur when blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off due to a blood clot in one of the coronary arteries. Common causes of cardiac arrest include heart attacks, heart disease, and inflammation of the heart muscle. Drug overdose and large blood loss may also be the cause.

Shocking the chest wall with a defibrillator can restart the heart. The shock allows the heart cells to recharge, which restores the heart rhythm. If a defibrillator is not immediately available, artificial respiration can circulate oxygen throughout the body.