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1) Women
have heart attacks. That may seem like an obvious
statement, but the point is that many women don’t know that
coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the number
one killer of women in America. More than that, women who have
heart attacks are more likely to die from them than men. That’s
because many women don’t know the warning signs and are less
likely to believe they are having a heart attack and seek prompt
emergency care.
Warmoth, who survived her heart
attack, is a health savvy woman. But even some of the most
educated women still think that diseases like breast cancer are
more of a threat. “When the [doctors] told me I had a heart
attack, I didn’t believe them,” Warmoth says. “I just couldn’t
think of it happening to me because I had no history of heart
problems.”
2)
Women have different heart attack warning signs.
Chest pain or discomfort is the most common symptom of heart
attack for men as well as women. But not every woman falls to
the floor clutching her chest. In fact, women are more likely
than men to have warning signs that appear to have nothing to do
with a heart attack, and, as a result, often go unrecognized.
For Warmoth, having nausea and fatigue were unusual, but didn’t
alarm her. “There are so many things that can cause nausea that
I didn’t associate it with being a heart attack sign,” she
explains.
The heart attack symptoms women
are more likely to have are easily brushed off as common
ailments caused by a busy schedule or a fast food burrito. And
they might be. But if the following symptoms are new or won’t go
away, see a doctor immediately:
• Pain or discomfort in the
upper body, including the shoulders, arms, back, neck or jaw
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Unusual fatigue
• Sleep disturbance
• Shortness of breath
• Indigestion
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Anxiety
3)
Heart attack prevention starts at age 20. A woman
should start assessing her general risk of heart disease
annually starting at age 20. You don’t need a medical degree to
know that the earlier a woman learns the risk factors for heart
attack, the less likely she will ever be to have one. There are
some risk factors women can’t control, such as family history.
If a woman’s father or brother had a heart attack before age 55,
or if her mother or sister had one before age 65, she’s at
higher risk. But that doesn’t mean she’s doomed. Understanding
the risk factors and reducing them at an early age can help keep
the heart healthy.
Risk factors for every
woman, regardless of age, include:
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• Physical inactivity
Risk factors can be
reduced by:
• Never smoking
• Exercising daily
• Eating a healthy diet
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Ensuring your cholesterol levels and blood pressure are in a
healthy range
4)
Heart attack risk dramatically rises after menopause.
Although Warmoth was generally healthy, her age alone put her at
a greater risk for heart attack. In women, the risk of a heart
attack begins to increase in the early 50s, when women enter
menopause. A menopausal woman has a coronary heart disease rate
that is two to three times higher than a woman of the same age
who is not menopausal.
Understandably, many women seek
relief from menopausal symptoms and may turn to hormone therapy.
Studies have shown there is a small increase in the risk of
heart attack and the risk increases the longer hormone therapy
is used. Deciding if the benefits outweigh the risk is a
conversation women should have with their doctors. All that
being said, women are still at risk even if they are
menstruating. Younger women can and do have heart attacks.
5)
Some diagnostic tests are less accurate in women.
Matters of the heart, in every sense of the phrase, are never
easy to understand. Why some tests and procedures aren’t as
accurate in women as they are in men remains a focus of clinical
studies. Warmoth’s exercise stress test, a commonly prescribed
test that involves walking on a treadmill while blood flow to
the heart is evaluated, came back “healthy.” But many times this
test misses heart disease in women or, in younger women, can
give a false positive.
That’s why every woman needs to
follow her heart. A good doctor can help a patient consider
tests that are more precise, albeit sometimes more expensive,
such as a thallium or sestamibi stress test. Everyone wants to
avoid unnecessary tests, but preventing a heart attack beats the
alternatives — irreversible heart damage or death.
What is a Heart
Attack?
Damage to or death of heart muscle when blood flow to the heart
is blocked, normally because a coronary artery is blocked or
almost blocked. The blockage or clot is usually caused by the
buildup of plaque along artery walls.
I Think I’m
Having a Heart Attack
If you even think you might be having a heart attack, minutes
matter. Clot-busting drugs and procedures can stop or reverse a
heart attack. The quicker they are given, the less heart damage
there will be.
• Call 911 immediately. Don’t be worried or embarrassed to call
because it might be a false alarm.
• Take one regular tablet of aspirin (unless you’re allergic).
• Unlock your front door to allow help to come in; then lie down
and rest until help arrives.
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The Austin Diagnostic Clinic is
a multi-specialty clinic with physicians representing 24 medical
specialties at seven locations. For more information about The
Austin Diagnostic Clinic physicians and services, see the
website www.adclinic.com
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