Chest pain characteristics and gender in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease mortality in both men and women. Chest pain, which is often described as chest pressure, tightness, or a squeezing sensation, is the most frequent symptom in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. Although the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction is often based on typical changes on a surface electrocardiogram and on changes in cardiac biomarkers, there is a need to better recognize and understand the impact of sex on symptoms among patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome or acute myocardial infarction. We briefly review the pathophysiology of ischemic symptoms, discuss potential mechanisms for variation in ischemic symptoms by sex, and summarize recent publications that have addressed sex differences in ischemic symptoms.