Heart Disease and Women’s Health

ALL women are at risk for heart disease and heart attacks. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women over 65, American women are 4 to 6 times more likely to die of heart disease than of breast cancer and heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined. Becoming aware of symptoms and risks unique to women, as well as eating a heart-healthy diet (like Dr. Rowley's 3-4-4 nutritional program) and exercising, can help protect you.

Women develop heart problems later in life than men - typically 7 to 8 years later. However, by about age 65, a woman's risk is almost the same as a man's. Also, the rates of heart attack over the last 20 years have been increasing for women aged 35 to 54.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack in women? Like men, the most common heart attack symptom for women is pain or discomfort in the chest.

However, women can also have a heart attack without having any chest pain. Some of the other symptoms women might experience include:

• feeling out of breath
• pain that runs along the neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
• nausea, vomiting or indigestion
• unexplained sweating
• sudden or overwhelming fatigue
• lightheadedness or dizziness

These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. Many women tend to show up in emergency rooms after much heart damage has already occurred because their symptoms are not those typically associated with a heart attack. If you experience these symptoms or think you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't drive yourself to the emergency room.

What you need to know. Women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men. No one knows why. It may be that women don't seek or receive treatment as soon as men, or that they don't recognize the symptoms of a heart attack, which can be different to the symptoms that men experience. It may be because women's smaller hearts and blood vessels are more easily damaged. Doctors are working on finding answers to these questions. Clearly, it makes sense to prevent heart problems before they start.

What can you do to protect yourself from heart disease? For women, the biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are:

• metabolic syndrome - a combination of fat around your abdomen, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high triglycerides — has a greater impact on women than on men.
• mental stress and depression affect women’s heart more than men

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