Yes, gender matters. Just like men the typical traditional risk factors for heart disease and heart attack such as high BP level, high cholesterol and obesity affects women. However; there are a few other factors as well which plays a big role in developing heart disease in women.
- Stress & depression: It’s no secret that women’s hearts get affected by stress and depression more than their male counterpart
Smoking: This stands as a much greater risk factor for heart disease in women than menInactivity: 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.Diabetes: Research states, women with diabetes are at a greater risk of heart disease than men with similar conditionMenopause: Sudden drop in the estrogen hormone level after menopause is a striking risk factor for cardiovascular disease in womenBroken heart syndrome: This is caused by stressful situations. Broken heart syndrome may even lead to temporary heart muscle failurePregnancy complications: Diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy may enhance the risk of developing heart disease in women
The signs and symptoms of heart disease in women include angina, hypertension, edema, palpitations, and also include some other vague symptoms that are often confused with indigestion or musculoskeletal pain.
Women may have subtle heart attack symptoms that are often totally unrelated to chest pain, such as –
- Shoulder, upper back, neck, jaw or abdominal discomfort
- Breathlessness
- Pain in one or both arms
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sweating
- Dizziness
- Extreme and unusual fatigue
Women with coronary artery disease face the same issues as men and are also required to be treated with the procedure to open the narrowed blood vessels for preventing a heart attack.
Coronary angioplasty treatment in Kolkata is used to clear significant artery blockages, which are causing the heart disease symptoms, like angina or chest pain, shortness of breath etc. Reopening the blocked artery by coronary angioplasty can thus prevent a heart attack that is already in progress.