Heart Disease in Women

Heart disease is heart disease, right? Does it really matter whether you are a man or a woman?

Yes, it matters. Coronary heart disease in women can manifest itself in significantly different ways from what it does in men. Women need to know those differences.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease in Women

* Age 65 or above - the effects of menopause add to the old age risk. Heart attacks as a result of heart disease in women are likely to happen at an older age than in men.

* Diabetes - Women develop diabetes risk factors earlier than do men, and heart disease in women is more likely to involve diabetes.

* Family history - Children of parents with coronary heart disease are more likely to develop it, male and female.

* Hypertension - Women having a heart attack are more likely to have high Blood Pressure than are men.

* Lack of exercise - Heart disease in women is often exacerbated by a lack of exercise.

* Obesity - Heart disease in women is often caused or made worse by a failure to maintain a healthy WEIGHT.

* Smoking - A smoker’s risk of heart disease in women is high. Second-hand smoke must also be factored into heart disease in women.

Heart Attacks

Women experience slightly different symptoms of acute heart attack. In addition to chest discomfort, heart disease in women is more likely to cause abdominal pain, fatigue, neck and shoulder pain, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath.

Heart disease in women is more likely to result in silent heart attacks. Women put off seeking medical help longer than men do - probably because the heart attack symptoms are different. Women who do go to the hospital with heart attack are usually sicker than are men with heart attack.

Heart disease in women is still misdiagnosed oftener than it is with men, and women with heart attacks still receive less aggressive treatment. They are less likely to be admitted to a coronary care unit.

Action Steps

Physicians give action steps for prevention and treatment of heart disease in women. These usually include: proper diet and exercise; control of Blood Pressure and diabetes. If you are a smoker, your physician will want you to stop smoking. He or she will discuss the causes of heart disease in women, and the factors that are within your control.

CAUTION: This information is for educational purposes only. Please see your physician for regular check-ups, and seek help if you suspect heart disease.