Symptoms of acute coronary syndrome in women with diabetes: an integrative review of the literature.

Objective: To review studies comparing multiple acute coronary syndrome (ACS) symptoms in white and Latina women with and without diabetes.

Methods: This empirical integrative review summarizes 8 studies and identifies the limitations of research to date.

Results: There are conflicting results about acute coronary syndrome (ACS) symptoms in women with diabetes. Differences were found in associated ACS symptoms and symptom characteristics; however, some studies found no differences in frequency of chest pain by diabetic status. Diabetes is an independent predictor of "atypical" presentation of acute myocardial infarction in women, and research to date suggests that shortness of breath may be an important ACS symptom in women with diabetes.

Conclusions: There is a paucity of literature on ACS symptoms in women, particularly Latina women, with diabetes, and results are inconclusive. Future research should examine the full range of ACS symptoms in multiethnic samples of women with diabetes.