Health Feature Articles
Women: Know the signs and symptoms of heart disease
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Barton County, University of Missouri Extension
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. One out of every four women die of heart disease, while one in 30 dies of breast cancer. One out of every eight women between the ages of 45 and 64 has some form of heart disease. At age 65, this increases to one out of every four women.
Women have a different experience than men when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. For example, a strong predictor for coronary heart disease in women is having a low HDL (good cholesterol) level. In men, the stronger predictor is high LDL (bad cholesterol). Women are less likely than men to survive heart surgery, and women are less likely to receive aggressive treatment for heart disease.
It is possible for women to have any of the symptoms of a heart attack which can include pain or pressure in the middle of the chest; shortness of breath; radiating pain to the shoulders, neck, back, arms or jaw; pounding heartbeats or feeling of extra heartbeats; upper abdominal pain; nausea, vomiting or extreme indigestion; unexplained sweating; dizziness with weakness; sudden extreme fatigue; or panic with the feeling of impending doom.
When men have a heart attack, a common symptom is pain that radiates down the arm. Approximately one-third of women having heart attacks experience no chest pain at all. It is also important to note that more than two-thirds of women having heart attacks report flu-like symptoms for two to four weeks before developing a chest discomfort or severe shortness of breath.
About two-thirds of women with coronary heart disease symptoms will appear to have normal arteries on an angiogram. Of those women, half will have a condition called coronary microvascular syndrome. These women actually have blockages, but they are undetectable on the angiogram because the plaque evenly coats very small arteries, unlike the large obstructions found in men. These narrowed, small arteries mean less oxygen flow to the heart and are the cause for chest pain.
Because the symptoms for heart attack can be vastly different for women than for men, it is extremely important for women to know the symptoms that are more common for them. It is also critically important for women to demand aggressive care when it comes to heart health.
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Last Updated 05/05/2009
