VOA标准英语2012--Higher Fatality Rate for Younger Women Having Heart Attacks Without Chest

Higher Fatality Rate for Younger Women Having Heart Attacks Without Chest 

Kimberly Perazzoli looks like the picture of health. But two years ago, she was tired and living with frequent back pain. "Never, never once did I think I was having a heart attack," she said. 

But Perazzoli had been to a lecture that may have saved her life. It was by cardiologist John Canto¹. He spoke² about the different warning signs in men and women who are having a heart attack.

When the pain became severe, Perazzoli called for an ambulance. Because she wanted the paramedics to take her seriously, she told them she was having chest pain - instead of the jaw³ and back pain she was actually having.

"The paramedic looked at me and she said, 'you're having a heart attack," she said. 

At 49, Perazzoli was in an age group considered too young for a heart attack. 

A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that most women were 10 to 15 years older than men when they had their first heart attack. 

Dr. Canto, of the Watson Clinic in Lakeland, Florida, was one of the co-authors of that study. He says the data also showed that a surprising number of younger women, under 55, were coming to the emergency room with symptoms other than chest pain, including shortness of breath, nausea⁴ and back or jaw pain.

And 15 percent of those women were in mortal danger when they arrived, compared to 10 percent of men in the same age category.

"Younger women had a higher risk of dying after heart attack compared to similarly aged⁵ men," said Dr. Canto. 

Dr. Canto says the differences in heart attack symptoms seemed to disappear as men and women got older.

During a Skype interview, we asked him why younger women might be at greater risk.

"Young pre-menopausal women have different hormonal⁶ status than older women, and certainly men. It's also reported that younger women who have a heart attack may have a different kind of heart attack that might involve what they call 'plaque⁷ erosion'. That's different than the classical type of heart attack, which consists of plaque rupture," he said. 

Dr. Canto says younger women taking birth control pills also face a greater risk of blood clots⁸, pulmonary embolism, and spasms⁹ of the coronary artery¹⁰. 

Kimberly Perazzoli's chances of survival were good after stents were placed in an artery in her heart.

"I've got a lot of living to do and I think my mortality hit me in the face when I looked in the mirror and felt jaw pain and knew enough to know it was something much more than muscular," she said. 

Doctors say more studies are needed about why younger women are showing an increase in heart attacks. Meantime, they want them to recognize those warning signs and get to a hospital in time.

For more information about the warning signs of a heart attack contact the American Heart Association or WomenHeart. 

1 canto   

n.长篇诗的章

参考例句：

• It's the fourth canto of Byron's "Childe Harold".这是拜伦长诗《恰尔德·哈罗尔德游记》的第四章。
• The Fifth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam tells of innumerable universes.《圣典博伽瓦谭》第五篇讲述了有无数宇宙存在。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

4 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

7 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

8 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 spasms   

n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The smile died, squeezed out by spasms of anticipation and anxiety. 一阵阵预测和焦虑把她脸上的微笑挤掉了。 来自辞典例句

10 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。