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Heart Disease: Not Just For Men
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Too many women today still believe that heart disease is mainly a man's problem. Yet, heart disease is a major health problem for women in this country. In the U.S., more women die of cardiovascular disease each year than from any other cause.
How Serious A Problem Is Heart Disease Among Women In The U.S.?
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in American women. One in nine women aged 45 to 64 has some form of cardiovascular disease. All cardiovascular diseases combined claim more than 500,000 women's lives each year. That's more than all of the next seven causes of death, including breast cancer which kills about 42,000 women in the U.S. each year.
Why are Postmenopausal Women at Increased Risk?
Women develop signs and symptoms of heart disease approximately 10 years later than their male counterparts. "We think that's because earlier in life women are protected by estrogen," says cardiologist Kristine Batten, M.D., F.A.C.C., medical director of John Muir Health's Women's Heart Program. "Cholesterol levels also tend to rise among women after menopause, matching men's levels." The fact that women tend to be older by the time they are diagnosed with heart disease means they are likely to have other health issues, such as diabetes, that make a heart attack more difficult to treat. Unfortunately, at the point that women develop serious cardiovascular disease, it progresses with a vengeance.
Why Do So Many Women Die of Cardiovascular Disease?
The American Heart Association reports an amazing statistic: 63 percent of women who die of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Thirty-eight percent of them die within one year of a heart attack, compared with 25 percent of men. Because women, and even their doctors, sometimes fail to recognize their warning symptoms, they may not receive the diagnostic tests and medical care they need.
Additionally, many women having a heart attack may delay getting lifesaving emergency medical care. Reasons include failure to recognize their symptoms, fear of embarrassment over a "false alarm," or not understanding the urgent need to call 911 for an ambulance. Treatment received during the first hour of a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death.
What Can Women do to Reduce Their Risk?
"Risk factors for heart disease, except for family history, are largely modifiable," according to Dr. Batten. "It's possible to prevent a heart attack if you take timely action to change your diet, lifestyle and stress levels."
Here's what women can do to decrease their risk of heart attack:
- Exercise daily and lose pounds if you are overweight
- Learn to reduce and manage stress levels
- Stop smoking and avoid significant second-hand smoke
- See your doctor for regular check-up's; ask if your risk factors should be treated with medications
- Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, waist circumference
- Learn the symptoms of heart attack in women
- Stop thinking of heart disease as a "man's disease"
What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Attack For Women?
"As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. Yet women are more likely to have other, less predictable warning signs," says Dr. Batten. A woman's heart attack often lacks the most common warning sign that men get—sudden, intense chest pain.
Instead, a woman is more likely to experience the following symptoms:
- Discomfort in one or both arms, or in the upper back, neck, or jaw
- Upper abdominal or chest tightness
- Severe, unexplained shortness of breath that lasts more than a few minutes, especially after exercise
- Persistent severe unexplained fatigue
- Weakness, dizziness, or even fainting
Symptoms listed above accompanied by:
- Breaking out in a cold sweat; clamminess
- Feelings of anxiety
- Nausea and/or vomiting; indigestion
- Sleeplessness as a pattern
In many women, warning signs may begin a month or more before the onset of a heart attack; seeking timely medical care can prevent an actual heart attack. If you are female and experience heart attack warning signs, get help right away. Know the heart facts. The life you save may be your own or someone else you love.
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