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Heart disease is certainly the number one killer and the first cause of death in the worldwide population. It is estimated that 17.9 million people die from heart diseases and sadly this number is certainly increasing as years go by. Taking care of heart health is the best preventative measure that can be taken to protect oneself from heart diseases. We may have heard or seen most heart diseases affecting women but it seems rare to see women be affected with heart diseases. You will be surprised to know that women actually are affected by heart disease as much as men do.
Why do we think or consider men to be affected by heart diseases more than women? This could be the fact that symptoms of heart diseases may not be significant as men do. Plus, in movies or drama, we are often shown with men suffering from a heart attack which is associated with heart disease compared to women. This left us with a question, do men and women experience the same symptoms associated with heart disease? The answer is, yes and no.
It is true that women do have the same symptoms of heart diseases just as men do when it comes to the classic symptoms such as chest pain, chest discomfort, shortness of breath and pain or discomfort that spread to the jaw, neck, shoulder, arm and back. However, these symptoms may not be entirely presented by women with heart diseases. It means that the classic symptoms of heart diseases as written in medical books may not be simply seen in reality when it comes to detecting heart diseases in women. As a matter of fact, symptoms of heart diseases in women are often subtle or unspecific to be suspected as heart diseases. This fact alone poses difficulty for healthcare professionals to detect heart diseases in women as most women tend to take symptoms lightly, causing heart disease symptoms that tend to be overlooked.
Beside knowing the classic symptoms of heart diseases, there are other symptoms in women that are nonspecific but certainly are important for women to understand that it could be a sign of heart disease. This includes indigestion, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, loss of appetite and cough. These symptoms are common in women with heart diseases but somehow always be seen as non-heart diseases. At times, severe anxiety such as panic attacks could be a symptom of heart diseases but it is less common. These symptoms are usually to be blamed for other medical conditions such as headache or simply being tired. It is vital that these symptoms should always be considered as an emergency.
In essence, women do have similar symptoms of heart diseases to men but commonly not the same symptoms as most symptoms are nonspecific. Due to the fact that the heart disease symptoms in women can be taken for granted or mistakenly blamed for other harmless medical conditions, it is necessary for women to know that these nonspecific symptoms should be known as possibility of heart diseases. Women should not consider the nonspecific symptoms as a light issue because it could be a life-threatening event when it is not treated promptly.
Women may be thinking that they are protected from heart diseases as they have the heart protective factor known as the estrogen hormone. Estrogen hormone is known to protect the heart by regulating the blood pressure, maintaining blood vessel’s function and keeping bad cholesterol levels low. Even so, this may not be entirely true especially in women who reach menopause or have low levels of estrogen from surgery such as uterus and/ or ovarian surgery. In fact, this group of women tends to have low levels of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), high levels of bad fat (lipid and LDL cholesterol) in blood and changes in the blood vessel’s structure leading to formation of blood clots and fatty plaque easier. Risk for heart diseases dramatically increases if these women have diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure (hypertension).
The wisest step for women when they have symptoms of heart diseases, even mild ones, is to get properly checked by a doctor. Women should tell doctors of the symptoms specifically and in detail as possible without the need of brushing off. They should at least make sure to get an ECG test before leaving the doctor’s office. Regular health screening should be a must for all women especially when they do have risk for heart diseases such as history of heart diseases in the family and chronic medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes or hypertension. It is true that women are indeed a strong being because there is so much pain that they have endured throughout their womanhood but this does not mean that whenever they have heart diseases symptoms should be taken lightly. For more information or any enquiries need to be addressed regarding women and heart diseases, talk to a healthcare professional.
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