Awareness Is the First Step to Better Heart Health in Women

By Dr. Anne Taylor

You may have noticed women wearing red on Feb. 2, National Wear Red Day, a day designated by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease in women.

While women worry more about breast cancer than heart disease, statistics show that one in 30 women dies of breast cancer, but one in 2.5 women dies of heart disease. It is the No. 1 cause of death in women. And, while the total number of people dying of heart disease is decreasing, the decline is much greater in men than in women.

Women should know that:

• Health-care providers are less likely to treat women with strategies that prevent heart disease, such as using drugs that lower cholesterol.
• Although they are less likely than men to have a heart attack in their forties and fifties, women in this age range are also far less likely to survive a heart attack.
• Women wait longer before going to an emergency room when they are having a heart attack, and are less likely to leave the hospital alive than men who arrive with heart attacks.
• Women are more likely to die in the year following a heart attack: 38 percent of women compared with 25 percent of men.

So how can women protect their hearts?

Prevention is important. Some risk factors, such as age, menopause, family history, and ethnicity are beyond your control. (African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans have higher rates of heart disease.) But, no matter what your age or ethnicity, you can affect the following risk factors for heart disease:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Tobacco use
• Obesity
• Lack of physical exercise

To reduce your risk:

Get regular checkups and learn your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers. Don't hesitate to ask questions such as, "What can I do to improve my heart health?" And, ask to be screened for diabetes--one-half of people with diabetes are not diagnosed.

Take medications as prescribed. Medications can reduce cholesterol, control blood pressure, and maintain normal blood sugars.

Stop smoking. Smoking increases blood pressure and hardens arteries.

Get regular exercise. It reduces stress and decreases your risk of obesity and diabetes.

Eat healthfully. A diet low in saturated fat and that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables can reduce bad cholesterol, control blood sugar, and help you maintain a healthy weight.

In case of a heart attack...

It's important to know the symptoms of heart attack in women. The most common symptom in women and men is pain or discomfort in the chest, ranging from a mild ache to feeling a heavy weight on the chest. Some women, however, do not have classic heart attack symptoms. They may instead experience shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, back or jaw pain, or extreme fatigue. In women, these symptoms may be misdiagnosed as a panic attack, flu, or indigestion. It is crucial to seek immediate medical attention if you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms.

To help address the problems in African-Americans with heart failure (a condition where the heart pumps ineffectively), the University of Minnesota conducted a study on the use of the drug combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine. This study done with both men and women, but which included the largest number of women (including African-American women) of any previous heart failure trial, gave us the first data on this drug combination's effectiveness in women, showing a huge reduction in deaths in women due to heart failure.