Di dalam drama televisyen, babak serangan jantung selalunya digambarkan dengan seorang lelaki tua memegang dadanya dengan kuat dan terus rebah ke lantai. Namun, adakah anda tahu bahawa serangan jantung ke atas golongan wanita selalunya jauh berbeza, sangat 'halus' dan kurang dramatik?
Disebabkan tiada "sakit dada yang menghimpit", ramai wanita mengabaikan simptom sebenar, menyangkakan mereka sekadar penat bekerja, mengalami masalah gastrik, atau dijangkiti selesema biasa. Kelewatan ini sering kali membawa padah.
In television dramas, a heart attack is usually depicted by an older man clutching his chest tightly and collapsing to the floor. However, did you know that heart attacks in women are often vastly different, very 'subtle', and far less dramatic?
Because there is no "crushing chest pain", many women dismiss the actual symptoms, assuming they are just overworked, experiencing gastric issues, or coming down with the flu. This delay is often fatal.
Fakta Sains: Kenapa Simptom Wanita Berbeza?
Scientific Fact: Why Are Women's Symptoms Different?
Penyumbatan kolesterol pada lelaki kebiasaannya berlaku pada saluran darah utama yang besar. Sebaliknya, wanita cenderung mengalami penyumbatan bukan sahaja di arteri utama, tetapi juga di rangkaian saluran darah yang sangat halus (kapilari) yang membekalkan darah ke jantung—satu keadaan yang dipanggil Coronary Microvascular Disease. Inilah sebab mengapa isyarat sakit wanita merata-rata dan sukar dikesan.
Cholesterol blockages in men typically occur in the large main arteries. In contrast, women tend to develop blockages not only in the main arteries but also in the very fine network of blood vessels (capillaries) supplying the heart—a condition called Coronary Microvascular Disease. This is why women's pain signals are diffused and harder to pinpoint.
Tanda Amaran Serangan Jantung Pada Wanita
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack in Women
Para wanita (dan para suami yang membaca), tolong perhatikan 4 simptom atipikal (tidak tipikal) ini. Jika ia berlaku secara tiba-tiba tanpa sebab yang munasabah, ia adalah isyarat Kecemasan (999):
Ladies (and husbands reading this), please watch out for these 4 atypical symptoms. If they occur suddenly without a reasonable cause, it is an Emergency (999) signal:
- 1. Sakit di Rahang, Leher, atau Belikat Punggung: Ini adalah simptom paling kerap diabaikan. Rasa sengal dan tegang yang tidak selesa pada rahang bawah, leher, atau bahagian atas punggung (antara tulang belikat dada belakang).
- 1. Pain in the Jaw, Neck, or Upper Back: This is the most frequently ignored symptom. An uncomfortable aching or tightness in the lower jaw, neck, or the upper back (between the shoulder blades).
- 2. Keletihan Yang Teramat Sangat (Extreme Fatigue): Rasa sangat letih yang luar biasa sehingga anda tidak mampu melakukan aktiviti mudah seperti mengemas katil atau berjalan ke bilik air, walaupun anda telah cukup tidur.
- 2. Extreme, Unexplained Fatigue: Feeling unusually exhausted to the point where you cannot perform simple tasks like making the bed or walking to the bathroom, even after a full night's sleep.
- 3. Loya, Muntah & Perut Kembung: Rasa mual yang teruk disangka akibat keracunan makanan atau asid refluks (GERD). Kadangkala ia disertakan dengan peluh sejuk.
- 3. Nausea, Vomiting & Bloating: Severe nausea often mistaken for food poisoning or acid reflux (GERD). Sometimes it is accompanied by breaking out in a cold sweat.
- 4. Sesak Nafas Mengejut: Tercungap-cungap untuk bernafas walaupun anda sedang duduk rehat dan tidak melakukan kerja berat.
- 4. Sudden Shortness of Breath: Gasping for air or feeling winded even when you are sitting and resting.
Dapatkan Pemeriksaan, Bukan Cuma Rehat.
Get Checked, Don't Just Rest.
Wanita secara fitrahnya adalah penjaga keluarga. Mereka sering mendahulukan kesihatan suami dan anak-anak, lantas mengabaikan kesihatan sendiri dengan alasan "Sekejap lagi hilanglah sakit ni, biar saya rehat sekejap."
Women are naturally the caretakers of the family. They often prioritize the health of their husbands and children, subsequently neglecting their own with the excuse, "The pain will go away soon, let me just rest a bit."
Hakikatnya, penyakit jantung kini merupakan pembunuh nombor satu wanita di Malaysia. Jika anda mula merasa kelainan pada diri anda, jangan ambil risiko. Jumpa Pakar Kardiologi untuk membuat ujian saringan Echocardiogram (Ultrasound Jantung) atau Ujian Tekanan (Stress Test).
The reality is, heart disease is now the number one killer of women in Malaysia. If you start feeling something is off, don't take the risk. See a Cardiologist to undergo an Echocardiogram (Heart Ultrasound) or a Stress Test.