pain is a commonly experienced symptom but that
several other symptoms also occur and that they vary
in onset, nature, and intensity.
Symptoms also
sometimes differ from patients’ expectations,
and
some patients do not interpret symptoms as cardiac in
origin and deny their severity.
15
Patients with diabetes
may also be confused by the similarities of symptoms
of MI to those associated with the glycemic fluctuations of diabetes.
In a qualitative study of women
with cardiac events, it was found that the presence of
co-occurring chronic illness complicated symptom recognition and was related to extended delay in seeking care.