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Women and Heart Disease:
Are You at Risk?
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If you think that being female, young and seemingly healthy will protect you from heart disease, think again. It is the number one killer of American women and unless you’ve been personally affected, you may not understand your risk.
What Is Heart Disease?
“Heart disease” describes three abnormal conditions that affect the heart and its blood vessels:
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Coronary Artery Disease causes the arteries to narrow and harden, leading to angina and heart attack:
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Angina is the pressing, squeezing chest pain/discomfort that occurs when the heart doesn’t get enough blood. It may present as pain in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back, as well as a feeling of indigestion. Angina also increases the likelihood of having a heart attack.
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Heart attack occurs when an artery is severely or completely blocked, preventing the heart from receiving blood for more than 20 minutes.
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Heart failure doesn’t mean your heart has stopped. It means your heart isn’t effectively pumping blood and your other organs are not adequately receiving blood. Signs of failure include:
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Heart arrhythmias are changes in the way your heart beats. In most cases, they are harmless and often occur as you age.
While both men and women are affected by heart disease, women are more likely to die from it. Like men, women experience chest pain and discomfort during a heart attack. However, women are more likely to feel shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain—symptoms not exclusively associated with heart disease.
Who's at Risk?
Numerous factors influence whether or not a woman will develop heart disease and not all of them are preventable. If your parents or siblings have/had heart disease, you are age 55 or older, or have gone through menopause, you’re at higher risk for heart disease. You’re also more likely to develop the disease if you’re African-American or Latina, especially if you have risk factors that disproportionately affect these populations (e.g., obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes).
How Can I Lower My Risk?
- Know and control your blood pressure.
- Have your cholesterol checked.
- Avoid smoking.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Get tested for diabetes.
- Limit alcohol.
- Reduce stress.
- Exercise regularly.
- Take your medication.
To learn more about heart disease, visit the Women's Health Web Site or the American Heart Association's Web Site.
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