Orthopaedic and sports surgeon Dr Obaidur Rehman recently shared a critical case study on social media that serves as a stark warning, especially for young women. He detailed the experience of a 36-year-old mother of two who suffered a heart attack after dismissing severe, unexplained exhaustion.
The Silent Onset: A Day That Felt Wrong
According to Dr Rehman's detailed Instagram post from December 2025, the woman's day did not begin with the classic, dramatic chest pain often portrayed in media. Instead, it started with an overwhelming and abnormal fatigue. By 10 a.m., she felt as if she had already lived a full day, with her arms feeling heavy and her body signalling that something was profoundly off.
She initially brushed it off as mere tiredness, a common self-deception. By noon, nausea set in, accompanied by a persistent sense of unease. Crucially, there was no fever or stomach bug to explain her condition. Her breathing became shallow, making it difficult to take a satisfying, full breath. Despite the discomfort, she did not panic—a reaction Dr Rehman notes is common because 90% of people are unaware that these subtle signs can precede a cardiac event in women.
A Fatal Delay: The Quiet Heart Attack
Eight hours after her symptoms began, her heart "stopped negotiating." Dr Rehman diagnosed this as atypical myocardial ischemia, a condition he describes as common in women and deadly precisely because its signals are so quiet. "No dramatic chest pain. Just signals so subtle they get blamed on stress, acidity, or sleep," he explained, urging people in their 20s and 30s to pay close attention.
Echoing this concern, Dr Saumya Sekhar Jenasamant, a consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at KIMS Hospitals in Thane, confirmed that many women do not experience the classic crushing chest pain. "Instead, early symptoms may include unexplained fatigue, nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, or a general sense that something isn’t right. These unusual signs are one of the main reasons heart attacks in women are often recognised late," said Dr Jenasamant.
Why Young Women Are at Risk and What to Watch For
The doctors highlighted why these symptoms are so easily overlooked: they mimic common issues like stress, acidity, anxiety, lack of sleep, or hormonal fluctuations. Younger women and those around them rarely consider heart disease a plausible threat, leading to dangerous delays in seeking help.
Dr Jenasamant emphasised that any sudden, unexplained exhaustion that feels disproportionate to one's activity level should raise immediate concern. If this fatigue is coupled with nausea, sweating, breathlessness, or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, or left arm, it warrants urgent medical evaluation—even in the absence of chest pain.
Contrary to popular belief, young women with no prior heart disease history are certainly at risk. Factors like high stress, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pregnancy-related complications, autoimmune diseases, and a strong family history can all elevate the risk. Heart disease is not exclusive to older men.
Dr Jenasamant also pointed out that women can be prone to a state of hyper-coagulability, increasing their tendency to form blood clots. Conditions like antiphospholipid syndrome or the use of oral contraceptives can exacerbate this risk, potentially leading to clots in heart vessels or leg veins.
Prevention and Proactive Health Measures
To mitigate these risks, adopting key lifestyle changes is non-negotiable. Dr Jenasamant advocates for regular physical activity, effective stress management, adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, and complete avoidance of tobacco.
Most importantly, she stresses the critical role of regular health check-ups. These are essential for monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and for having detailed discussions with a doctor about family medical history. The ultimate advice from the experts is clear: listen to your body and trust persistent symptoms. If something feels unusually wrong, seeking medical help early can be life-saving.
