Although women tend to develop heart disease an average of 10-15 years later than men, it still remains the number one killer of women in the United States today. While almost half of all women think they are more likely to die of breast cancer than heart disease, the fact is that just 3% of women die from breast cancer, as opposed to over 30% of women, who die from heart disease.
Knowing this, it’s important for women to be aware of the risk factors and symptoms associated with heart disease. Symptoms for women experiencing heart attacks are sometimes different than they are for men, which is one reason why many women delay seeking treatment and are more likely than men to die from a heart attack.
How do women differ from men when it comes to heart attacks? For one thing, women are more likely than men to experience a heart attack without chest pain. Because chest pain is the most commonly-thought of symptom for a heart attack, women tend to dismiss the possibility of a heart attack if they do not have chest pains. In addition, unlike men, some female heart attack victims do not have the artery-clogging plaque that most men do. Women are also more likely to die from a heart attack than men. While the exact reasoning behind this is not known, some experts speculate that women don’t seek treatment as soon or as often as men, or because women have smaller hearts that can be more susceptible to damage.
Because there are so many unknowns regarding heart disease and women, it’s important to identify who is at-risk and how to best prevent the development of heart disease. African American women, women who smoke, women who are overweight, women with diabetes, and women with a genetic history of heart disease are more likely to develop heart disease during their lifetime.
While certain factors, such as race, genetics, and obviously gender, cannot be changed, there are many things women can do to prevent the occurrence of heart disease:
Get screened. Women are far less likely than men to receive routine cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar screened as men. Because high levels of cholesterol and blood pressure can lead to heart disease, women should be screened for these things at least once a year.
Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is a contributing factor in the development of heart disease, and over 60% of women in the United States are considered overweight. Excess weight puts added strain on the heart and has a tendency to raise cholesterol and blood pressure.
Stop smoking. Many studies have shown a correlation between smoking and heart disease. Smoking depletes the oxygen content in the blood and raises blood pressure, making smokers 4 times as likely to develop heart disease than nonsmokers.
Eat a healthy diet. Cholesterol-laden, high fat and high sugar foods should be replaced with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, protein, heart-healthy whole grains, and folic acid.
Exercise. Exercise helps keep people at a healthy weight and also keeps cholesterol and blood pressure levels to a minimum. The heart is a muscle, and regular exercise keeps it strong and better able to ward off disease.
Because heart disease is the number one killer for women in the United States, women should take care to prevent heart disease as much as possible. By living a healthy lifestyle and by keeping informed about the risks, symptoms, and likelihood of heart disease, they will be better able to ward off heart disease.