Written for Heart1 by Michelle Alford
When many consider heart disease, they see a man clutching his chest as he suffers from a major heart attack, but heart disease is just as prevalent among women. Because most of the earliest heart disease studies were focused on men, the differences in symptoms and treatments for women are often overlooked. As a woman, here are five things that you should know about heart disease.
1. Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death among women. One in every four women dies from heart disease. Yet, according to a study done by the American Heart Association, only half of women are aware heart disease is a leading cause of death among women, and less than 1 in 8 see heart disease as a great personal risk. Women are more worried about breast cancer, which kills 1/6th as many women as heart disease.
2. Women’s symptoms often look different from men’s symptoms. Typical symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and cold and clammy skin; however, women are more likely than men to experience atypical symptoms. These often include:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- Upset stomach
- Jaw pain
- Arm weakness
In fact, 43 percent of women who participated in a study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said that they didn’t feel any chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks.
3. The risk of heart disease increases as you age. Women’s heart attacks tend to happen later in life than men’s heart attacks. On average, women don’t suffer from their first heart attack until they’re 70 years old, and other diseases, such as osteoporosis, may mask heart attack symptoms.
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Lower Your Risk of a Heart Attack
Quit smoking
Maintain a healthy weight. Check our BMI Calculator to see if you need to be concerned about your weight
Exercise for at least an hour a day
Don’t drink more than one glass of alcohol a day
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4. Symptoms may start a month or more prior to suffering from a heart attack. 95 percent of women surveyed by NIH recognized that they had new or different symptoms weeks before they had a heart attack, but most did not make a connection between those symptoms and heart disease. A danger of atypical symptoms is that those suffering from them often think they’re minor and wait for them to go away on their own instead of seeing a doctor. If symptoms of any kind, even seemingly minor ones, persist for more than a week, it’s important to consult a medical professional.
5. The prognosis for women who have heart attacks is worse than men. Women are more likely to die from a heart attack than men are. The reasons for this aren’t currently known, but doctors have theorized that women are less likely to recognize that they’re having a heart attack and that women’s symptoms are often mistakenly attributed to something other than heart disease.
If caught early, heart disease can be easily treated. By learning more about your personal risks, you can increase your chances of living a long and healthy life.
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Photo: Sherif Salama
