Women's Heart Attacks Differ from Men
Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in the United States. However, there are some key differences in how it develops, presents, and is addressed between the sexes.
Heart disease has a major impact on many women's lives, but awareness of it has typically focused more on men than women.
Women have smaller hearts and smaller blood vessels. This difference is significant because sometimes smaller vessels don't show up well on an angiogram - a picture taken from the blood vessel of the heart- so signs of blockage can be missed in some women.
Heart disease in women tend to develop more in the smaller blood vessels of the heart instead in the larger coronary arteries.
Female reproductive health history and heart disease are closely related.
Women with endometriosis were found to be three times more likely to develop some form of heart disease than women without it.
Pregnant women who develop gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and places stress on the organs, may also have increased risk of heart attacks.
Many of the "classic' heart attack symptoms- like crushing chest pain- are based on research done on men. Women may also experience chest pain- but may also have flu-like symptoms, including:
*Nausea
*Vomiting
*Dizziness
*Shortness of breath
Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of women who die suddenly of heart disease had no prior symptoms.
The cardiac troponin test is a common tool used to determine if a heart attack has occurred. This test measures the levels of troponin- a protein that indicates the presence of damaged heart muscle -in the blood. Women need a lower level of troponin in the blood to indicate a heart attack.
Women may also need a different approach to treatment to get the best outcomes compared to men. For example, women have higher mortality rates for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Some suggestions to combat coronary heart disease include better food choices in favor of lean protein , whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Regular exercise, control of moods, and meditation can also be helpful.
Credit: WebMD
Heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women in the United States. However, there are some key differences in how it develops, presents, and is addressed between the sexes.
Heart disease has a major impact on many women's lives, but awareness of it has typically focused more on men than women.
Women have smaller hearts and smaller blood vessels. This difference is significant because sometimes smaller vessels don't show up well on an angiogram - a picture taken from the blood vessel of the heart- so signs of blockage can be missed in some women.
Heart disease in women tend to develop more in the smaller blood vessels of the heart instead in the larger coronary arteries.
Female reproductive health history and heart disease are closely related.
Women with endometriosis were found to be three times more likely to develop some form of heart disease than women without it.
Pregnant women who develop gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and places stress on the organs, may also have increased risk of heart attacks.
Many of the "classic' heart attack symptoms- like crushing chest pain- are based on research done on men. Women may also experience chest pain- but may also have flu-like symptoms, including:
*Nausea
*Vomiting
*Dizziness
*Shortness of breath
Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of women who die suddenly of heart disease had no prior symptoms.
The cardiac troponin test is a common tool used to determine if a heart attack has occurred. This test measures the levels of troponin- a protein that indicates the presence of damaged heart muscle -in the blood. Women need a lower level of troponin in the blood to indicate a heart attack.
Women may also need a different approach to treatment to get the best outcomes compared to men. For example, women have higher mortality rates for coronary artery bypass surgery.
Some suggestions to combat coronary heart disease include better food choices in favor of lean protein , whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Regular exercise, control of moods, and meditation can also be helpful.
Credit: WebMD