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Heart disease often different for women, says UCI Health cardiologist

Fatigue, heartburn flagged as female-specific symptoms of heart attack

February 03, 2025
uci heath cardiologist dr ailin barseghian sitting in the studio next to a microphone with OC talk radio host
 UCI Health cardiologist Dr. Ailin Barseghian, right, recently sat down for an interview with Dawn Kamber, public affairs director for OC Talk Radio.

IN THE NEWS: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.

Nearly 45% of U.S. women over the age of 20 are living with some form heart disease, but the signals are often missed.

oc talk radio logoUCI Health cardiologist Dr. Ailin Barseghian spoke with Impact OC on OC Talk Radio about how women may experience a heart attack differently than men do.

“The symptoms of heart attack are different for men than for women. Classically, men will relate to the symptom of chest tightness or an ‘elephant sitting on my chest’ description. For women, the most common symptom is chest pain. However, they’ll perhaps have an associated nausea or significant fatigue during the event.”

Barseghian notes that a feeling of heartburn that doesn’t follow a meal can sometimes be a warning sign.

“Sometimes women may manifest things like heartburn or epigastric pain. But heartburn generally happens 30 minutes after a meal. It doesn’t happen on its own after exertion. If you feel something that you think is heartburn, especially if you’ve never really had heartburn before and it’s not associated with food intake, it could be a manifestation of a heart artery blockage.”

Barseghian is a board-certified cardiologist at UCI Health Cardiology Services who specializes in interventional and integrative approaches to heart disease. Her clinical interests include women's heart health, preventive cardiology and cardiovascular imaging and pharmacology.

She is also an associate professor of medicine at the Mary & Steve Wen Cardiovascular Division of the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Barseghian’s research interests include interventional and preventive cardiology, cardiovascular imaging and cardiovascular pharmacology. She is the author or co-author of numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

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