Sometimes the best thing a woman can do to care for others is to take care of herself.

Dr. Don Mishra, a cardiologist with the Heart Health Center in Florence, said women are more likely than men to ignore symptoms of a heart attack or other heart disease. Symptoms women experience often vary from typical signs of heart disease.

“Men typically present with that classic elephant on the chest feeling,” Mishra said. “Women present with varied symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath and sometimes nausea. Some women may not be aware those symptoms are even consistent with a heart attack.”

Mishra will present a program on heart health during a women’s symposium Feb. 18, 7:30-11:30 a.m., at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Conference Center. Attendees will have access to a variety of health screenings, including blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol. No preregistration is needed.

According to the American Heart Association, the symptoms for heart attacks in women include uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back; pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; cold sweat; nausea; or lightheadedness.

“Women are traditionally caretakers,” Mishra said. “Data shows if a woman suspects someone else is having a heart attack, they likely will call for an ambulance, but less than 50 percent would go to a hospital or call an ambulance for similar symptoms.”

Renae Underwood, a nurse in the catheterization lab at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, was one of those women when she had a heart attack six months ago.

Underwood, an avid runner and cyclist, said she was in the best shape of her life and never suspected she would have a heart attack while vacationing in Panama City Beach, Fla.

“I just didn’t feel well,” she said. “I had shortness of breath but thought if I got some fresh air, I’d be fine.”

But a sharp pain through the left side of her body was too much to ignore and Underwood had three stents installed to open arteries carrying blood away from the heart.

Underwood said she had no family history of heart disease and none of the medical risk factors associated with heart disease.

“I am now more aware of what my body is telling me,” Underwood said. “The heart attack has changed how I exercise, but hasn’t stopped me from exercising. I would push myself until I was just breathless. Now I don’t push myself so much.”

Mishra said while heart disease and heart attacks can happen to anyone despite risk factors or family health history, it is important for people to assess their risks for heart health issues.

Screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes and tests such as an electrocardiogram help people understand their potential for developing heart disease.

“Sometimes women don’t want to go to the doctor and say they are having symptoms because of fear there won’t be anything wrong,” Mishra said. “It is better to get a clean bill of health than to not know.

“Women need to know it is OK to ask their doctor to do these screenings, if they are not already being done.”

Jennifer Edwards can be reached at 256-740-5754 or jennifer.edwards@TimesDaily.com.