A leading NI medical charity is warning women that their symptoms of an impending heart attack can be very different from those in men.

NI Chest, Heart and Stroke Chief Executive Andrew Dougal (pictured) said: "We're not saying that men can afford to ignore the risk factors for heart disease.

"But women's biggest fear is often breast cancer, when in fact heart attacks kill many more.

"They also kill a greater percentage of women than men. Women - particularly those over the age of 50 - need to pay more attention to this area of their health. Your GP can advise of the risks," he said.

He also points out that women often put their health second to that of other members of the family, thus increasing the risk of missing the warning signs.

"The classic symptoms that we all know are chest pain or a pain down the left arm – but that's just for men.

"Women, on the other hand, may notice very different signs for up to a month before suffering a heart attack, and chest pain is not necessarily one of them."

To mark 'Have a Heart Week', which runs from the 9th of February, NICHS advises that research carried out by the National Institutes of Health in the US suggests that women's major symptoms before a heart attack are more likely to be: unusual fatigue; sleep disturbance; shortness of breath; indigestion and anxiety

Symptoms during an actual heart attack include shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, cold sweat and dizziness.

To mark the week, the charity has been running fundraising events and offering health checks for one of the major risk factors – high blood pressure.

(BMcC/JM)