A study that has been published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes indicates that women with anxiety may end up having signs of heart disease ignored. This is because many of the symptoms overlap, so a physician may be more likely to attribute things like heart palpitations and chest discomfort to anxiety rather than signs of a heart problem.
Part of this may be due to the fact that women are more likely than men to suffer from anxiety. Additionally, when women have a heart attack, their symptoms tend to be different than those of men who are having one. Women are more likely to complain of a burning pain in their chest, whereas men often say that they have pain in their throat, abdomen, back or jaw.
Researchers looked at more than 2,300 patients, and those who participated underwent both a physical stress test and a psychiatric interview. It was discovered that women with anxiety were far more likely to exhibit ischemia, which is reduced blood-flow to the heart and may cause a shortage of oxygen, than women without anxiety, but there did not appear to be a similar correlation with men who suffered from anxiety.
It’s not just emergency room errors that can cause major medical problems for patients. People also rely on doctors to look at their symptoms and come to an accurate diagnosis, and when this does not occur, a variety of problems can develop. Individuals who are misdiagnosed will not receive the treatment they need, and they may also develop medical conditions from being given incorrect medications. If someone’s medical condition has been misdiagnosed, a lawyer could explain the rights and options that are available.