Heart disease in women, knowing signs saves lives
Tingling hands, aching teeth or jaw, trouble sleeping, cold sweats, nausea/indigestion, fatigue, dizziness, even increased anxiety. Women should know that these could be symptoms of heart attack.
“Symptoms may differ from the classic signs experienced by men such as tightness in the chest, arm pain and shortness of breath,” explains Coley Barbee, MD, family medicine physician at Gundersen Waukon Clinic.
Despite a better understanding of heart disease in women, the statistics are still disheartening:
- Heart disease is the largest cause of death in women.
- Women are two times more likely to die from a heart attack than men.
- There are six times more deaths from heart attacks than from breast cancer and two times more than all cancers combined.
But take heart…there is good news. “Studies show that women’s hearts respond better than men’s to lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, exercising more, losing weight and lowering stress. When treated with the right medication and program, women improve,” Dr. Barbee says optimistically.
In recent years, science has also been looking at plaque build-up in arteries. In women, plaque tends to spread out along the arteries instead of forming major blockages. This type of build-up is more difficult to detect in tests but still poses a major risk. While the tests are still important in predicting heart disease, other risk factors should be considered, too.
Other risk factors include genetics, smoking, cholesterol, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, obesity (especially belly fat) and stress. The more risk factors a woman has, the greater chance for heart disease.
Age is also a major factor. “Risk for heart disease increases after the age of 40 due to a drop in estrogen,” Dr. Barbee says. “As we age we tend to be less active, it’s harder to lose weight, we’re at greater risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, and we don’t sleep as well. Also with a drop in estrogen, our arteries don’t dilate as well, which can restrict blood flow.”
What’s a woman to do? “Exercise, exercise, exercise,” says Dr. Barbee. “Get moving. Even 10 minutes of exercise will dilate arteries for improved blood flow. Exercise can also help you manage your weight. Losing even 10 percent of your body weight unloads the heart, lowers blood pressure and reduces incidence of diabetes.”
Talk with a doctor about risk factors, make appropriate lifestyle changes and be aware of the early warning signs.
