Women and Heart Disease, An Epidemic author: Larry Santora,Shalizeh Shokooh,Kelly Tucker asin: 1886571252

If you have a pain in your chest, should you be worried that it's your heart or heart disease?

Shalizeh Shokooh, M.D., Co-Medical Director and Cardiologist

Visit Dr. Shalizeh Shokooh, M.D., the Co-Medical Director
Cardiologist of St. Joseph Hospital Women’s Heart Center in Orange, CA

Dr. Shalizeh Shokooh: The presentation for heart pain -- chest pain for men is always most likely chest pain in middle of the chest. It’s more achy pressure. It can radiate to their arms, it can cause them to have dizziness and shortness of breath but it’s not always like this for women.

A lot of women do not have chest pain as their primary presentation in symptom of heart disease. The problem that comes up is how do we know this is chest pain of the heart disease or not?

It’s sometimes very difficult -- but a constant pain that goes on days and days, is less likely to be from the heart because of the fact that the usual pain from heart comes and goes. It may get worse with exertion and when it gets really bad, it can be addressed. But if someone has constant pain they may think about other etiologies and causes such as muscle pain and joint pain that can be causing the pain.

Dr. Shokooh is also the co-author of Women and Heart Disease, An Epidemic