It’s a myth that heart disease affects men more than women. The truth is, heart disease kills one in three women, the same number as in men.

Sherran Arstall, 67, from Havant was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital at the end of April 2012. The cause… an unstable angina. For the last twelve years, Sherran had been suffering with night sweats and chest pains, however had been told by health professionals at her GP surgery it was related to menopause or indigestion, and not a warning sign of a heart attack or heart related problem.

Now Sherran wants to help educate the public of the warning signs, as a female heart attack often presents different symptoms to a man’s. While the majority of people recognise the sign of a chest-related issue is a sign of a heart attack, most women do not get this symptom.

"Although women can have chest tightness as a symptom of a heart attack, women commonly have symptoms of shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue, or pressure in the lower chest, so they can easily mistake it as a stomach problem,” said Dr Dana, Consultant Cardiologist.

“When Mrs Arstall came to our Emergency Department she described her symptoms and we immediately took her to the cardiac assessment unit for tests and then angioplasty surgery to implant two stents in her coronary artery”, continues Dr Dana. “I recommend that if anyone suspects they are having a heart attack, call 999 immediately.”

“It has taken me a while to recover and come to terms with what happened. Other than feeling tired more easily, I have made a full recovery”, says Sherrran. “The consultants at QA were simply amazing and without them I might not be here today. I never realised before that there could be different symptoms for men and women.”