Chest pain is one of the most feared medical symptoms, and for good reason. It is often associated with heart attacks, a condition long perceived as a predominantly male health emergency. Yet, global health data
continues to underline an uncomfortable truth, cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death among women, and women are more likely than men to experience delayed diagnosis, misinterpretation of symptoms, or dismissal of warning signs.
What complicates matters is that women rarely present with textbook cardiac symptoms. Instead of sudden, crushing chest pain, women often report discomfort that feels like indigestion, pressure, burning, nausea, breathlessness, or pain radiating to the arms, jaw, or back. These symptoms overlap significantly with gastrointestinal issues, particularly acid reflux. As a result, emergency rooms frequently find themselves navigating a diagnostic grey area, where it is impossible to rule out a heart attack without exhaustive testing, even when the cause turns out to be non-cardiac.
This diagnostic uncertainty is becoming increasingly common among women in their 40s and 50s, especially those juggling chronic stress, sedentary work, hormonal changes, and pre-existing conditions such as hypertension or digestive disorders.
For Ananya (name changed for anonymity), a Faridabad-based IT professional, the diagnosis came without warning and without drama. It was a regular weekday night, dinner finished, alarms set for the next morning. “There was nothing unusual about the day at all,” she says. “That’s what made it so unsettling.” There had been no warning signs, no unusual exertion, and no obvious dietary trigger. “Dinner was light. I went to bed at my usual time,” she recalls. “There was nothing that felt off enough to worry about.”
Living with long work hours, a sedentary desk job, and the low-grade health issues many women in their forties quietly manage, Ananya had learned not to panic at every physical discomfort. She had previously visited doctors for back pain, migraines, and bouts of vertigo, often reassured that stress or posture was to blame. “So when I woke up with chest pain, my first instinct wasn’t fear,” she says. “It was confusion.”
That confusion quickly turned into concern when the pain intensified. “It felt deep, central, and sharp,” she explains. “There was sweating, and pain moving down my left arm. That’s when it stopped feeling like acidity or anxiety.”
Her sudden cry woke her husband, who rushed her to a nearby hospital’s emergency department. By the time she arrived, doctors noted that her heart rate had spiked dramatically and her blood pressure was dangerously high. Given her symptoms and age, the medical team proceeded as they would in any suspected cardiac emergency.
“I remember them saying they couldn’t take chances,” Ananya says. “They didn’t know what it was, and neither did I.”
Initial tests, including ECGs and cardiac monitoring, began immediately. She was given sedatives to stabilise her vitals and medication to manage the pain. Yet for several hours, there was no definitive explanation. It was only later in the morning, after a senior physician reviewed her case and test results, that the diagnosis became clear, a severe acid reflux episode that had triggered symptoms closely resembling a heart attack.
Recent global health analyses indicate that women are more likely than men to experience atypical heart attack symptoms and are also more likely to be misdiagnosed during initial medical evaluation. Studies published in the past year have reiterated that women often delay seeking care, attributing symptoms to acidity, fatigue, or anxiety sometimes with fatal consequences.
At the same time, data also shows that a significant proportion of women admitted for suspected cardiac events are ultimately diagnosed with non-cardiac conditions, including GERD. This dual reality places women in a uniquely vulnerable position– ignore the pain, and risk missing a heart attack; react quickly, and face uncertainty, testing, and fear.
“I kept thinking, what if I had ignored it?” Ananya says. “Even though it turned out not to be my heart, I don’t regret going to the hospital.” Ananya remained under observation for two days. Once treated appropriately for acid reflux, her symptoms gradually subsided. Doctors confirmed that a cardiac stress test was unnecessary, given the clarity of the diagnosis and normal heart findings.
By the time she was discharged, the physical pain had eased but the experience left a lasting impact. Doctors advised lifestyle modifications, stricter management of acidity, and regular monitoring of blood pressure. More importantly, they emphasised awareness not fear.
