Women & Heart Disease

It’s true: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in women. Yet, only 1 in 5 American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.

But it doesn’t affect all women alike, and the warning signs for women aren’t the same in men. What’s more: These facts only begin to scratch the surface. A heart attack strikes someone about every 43 seconds. It occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. This happens because the arteries that supply the heart with blood can slowly narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances (plaque).

Many women think the signs of a heart attack are unmistakable — the image of the elephant sitting on your chest comes to mind — but in fact they can be subtler and sometimes confusing.

You could feel so short of breath, as though you ran a marathon, but you haven't made a move. Some women experiencing a heart attack describe upper back pressure that feels like squeezing or a rope being tied around them, Goldberg said. Dizziness, lightheadedness or actually fainting are other symptoms to look for, as well as the feeling of swallowing something too fast or indigestion.

We’ve all seen the movie scenes where a man gasps, clutches his chest and falls to the ground. In reality, a heart attack victim could easily be a woman, and the scene may not be that dramatic.

Heart Attack Signs in Women:

·      Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

·       Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

·    Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

·        Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

·       As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.  Don’t just take an aspirin and decide to wait it out—call 9-1-1 as well!  More women die from a first heart attack than men.  Keep that in mind.

Even when the signs are subtle, the consequences can be deadly, especially if the victim doesn’t get help right away.

While heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.  Many women have an ‘others first’ kind of mentality due to being caregivers, and may put off symptoms simply because they ‘don’t have time for that!’  

Heart disease is preventable. Keep these tips in mind:

-Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to learn your personal risk for heart disease. You can also learn your risk with the American Heart Association’s Heart Attack Risk Calculator, located on their website at www.heart.org

-Know Your Numbers.  Use this guide:

• Blood pressure Less than 120/80
• Total cholesterol Less than 200 mg/dL
• LDL -“Bad” cholesterol Less than 100 mg/dL**
• HDL -“Good” cholesterol Greater than 50 mg
• Triglycerides Less than 150 mg/dL
• Glucose (HbA1c) Less than 7%
• Body mass index (BMI) 18.5-24.9 kg/m2
• Waist circumference Less than 35 inches

   

-Quit smoking. Did you know that just one year after you quit, you’ll cut your risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent?

-Start an exercise program. Just walking 30 minutes a day can lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.

-Modify your family’s diet if needed. For example, with poultry, use the leaner light meat (breasts) instead of the fattier dark meat (legs and thighs), and be sure to remove the skin.

The Health Center urges all women to take care of your heart.  While we are used to be caregivers, we have to take care of ourselves first in order to be able to take care of others.

Source: American Heart Association