The fact is written on the wall – Heart disease stands as the leading cause of death among women.
Facts about Women and Heart Disease – Spotlight
Heart Disease in Women – Let’s Take A Look At The Symptoms & Risk Factors
The signs and symptoms of heart attack are a bit different in women than men and sadly these symptoms are often misunderstood. Becoming aware of the signs and risks that are unique to women and sticking to healthy diet and heart healthy lifestyle can help.
While some women may have some symptoms of heart attack such as dull or sharp chest pain or discomfort but others may have no symptoms at all. Often heart disease may not be diagnosed until woman experiences the typical symptoms of a heart failure, attack, arrhythmia or stroke.
Heart Attack symptoms may include:Chest pain, upper back pain, heartburn, indigestion, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, upper body discomfort, and breathlessness
Arrhythmia symptoms may include: Palpitations and fluttering feelings in the chest
Heart Failure symptoms may include: Breathlessness, fatigue, swelling of feet/legs/ ankles/abdomen.
Stroke symptoms may include: Confusion, trouble speaking, dizziness, and inability to move or paralysis, sudden weakness, numbness of arms, legs, and face on one side of the body. Other symptoms may include difficulty seeing, loss of coordination, loss of consciousness, and shortness of breath, dizziness and even severe headache.
While the most common type of heart attack in women is associated with pain, pressure in the chest and discomfort; however (as already briefed) women may often have an attack without any of these prominent symptoms.
Believe it or not; women may have subtle heart attack symptoms that are often totally unrelated to chest pain, such as –
Extreme and unusual fatigue: Women have to run a household, work outside and manage kids so it’s often normal to feel tired. However women should pay attention to unusual and extreme fatigue.
Consult a doctor if you
Sweating and breathlessness: These common symptoms can point heart complications when occurred in certain situations
Consult a doctor if you
Jaw, neck, back, arm pain: This kind of pain without any specific joint or muscle ache may point towards a heart condition.
Consult a doctor if you
Yes, these symptoms are rather subtle than typical crushing chest pain. Women are more likely to describe chest pain as chest tightness. This is because women are more likely to develop blockages in their main arteries as well as in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a typical condition which in the medical dictionary has been termed as ‘microvascular disease’.
Women’s heart attack symptoms may occur when they are asleep or when resting. Mental stress and depression also play a big role in triggering heart attack symptoms in women.
Heart disease and heart attack risk factors for women
Needless to say like men the traditional risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity also affect women but there are few other factors as well that play a big role in developing heart disease in women. For instance –
Diabetes: Research has clearly proved, women with diabetes are at a much greater risk of heart disease than men with similar condition
Stress & depression: Yes, women’s hearts get affected by stress and depression more than their male counterpart.
Smoking: Of course smoking stands tall as a much greater risk factor for heart disease in women than men
Inactivity: Lack of physical activity also stands as the contributing factor in developing heart disease and some research has found that women tend to be more inactive than male.
Menopause: Sudden drop in the estrogen hormone level after menopause is a striking risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women
Broken heart syndrome: This is caused by stressful situations, which may lead to temporary, heart muscle failure and is a common problem faced by women after menopause.
Pregnancy complications: Diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy may enhance the risk of developing heart disease in women
Women with inflammatory diseases are also at a greater risk of developing heart disease.
With this comes the next pertinent question – should only older women worry about heart disease?
The answer to this question in one simple word is NO. Women of all ages need to take heart disease seriously. Women under 65 years and with a clear family history of heart disease need to pay a closer attention to the risk factors.
So what can the women do in order to reduce their risk of heart diseases?
First things first; there are a number of things that are in your control to help reduce the risk for heart disease
Stay away from smoking both actively and passively: Your chances of developing a heart attack in fact doubles up if you smoke as few as even one cigarette per day. Regular exposure to passive smoking can increase your risk.
Stay active: Try to get moderate-intensity exercise at least for 30 minutes a day. Fit your exercise schedule rather actively into your life. For instance; take the staircase instead of the lift, walk a few blocks instead of catching a transport
Eat healthy diet: Harvard Medical School has identified a number of crucial ingredients for a heart-healthy diet. Eat a whole range of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, monounsaturated fats, fish and limit your intake of sugar, salt and trans fats.
Reduce stress: As already briefed your risks for heart disease increases if you’re stressed or depressed. Reduce your stress and depression for better heart health.
In 2004, AHA released guidelines on preventing heart disease and stroke in women. According to the American Heart Association you can reduce your risk for heart diseases by maintaining healthy weight and also by maintaining the levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.
Here’s the ideal level of blood pressure and cholesterol
(Adapted from information in Circulation 2004, Vol. 109, pp. 672–93)
Takeaway? Women tend to land up at the emergency rooms after the heart has been damaged already. This is because women often downplay their symptoms or often fail to recognize the symptoms.
Listen to your body and if you experience any of the signs and symptoms discussed above or if you think that you’re having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help.
Take care!