Heart disease occurs when blood vessels become narrowed or blocked, which can eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke. Age, gender and family history are universal risk factors and play a role in determining every individual’s risk for heart disease. However, about half of all Americans (47%) have at least one of these three additional risk factors:
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Smoking
Fortunately, these three risk factors can be controlled by making a few lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Other risk factors such as diabetes, being overweight and excessive alcohol use can also be reduced by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
How Women Are Special
When it comes to the heart, women and men are definitely different. For example, a man’s heart typically weighs about 10 ounces, while a woman’s heart weighs around 8 ounces.
During a heart attack, women can also experience vastly different symptoms than men. The signs of trouble are often more subtle and harder to detect. For example, women are more likely to experience nausea, indigestion, excessive fatigue, shortness of breath and pain in the back, jaw or shoulder rather than the crushing chest pain that is a classic symptom among men. Indeed, women can have a heart attack without experiencing any chest pressure at all.
Because their symptoms are often less severe, women often believe their heart-attack symptoms are the sign of a less life-threatening condition such as acid reflux or the flu. As a result, they are less likely to seek immediate medical help and therefore suffer more significant heart damage. That’s the reason it’s so important for women to know the signs of a heart attack, listen closely to their body and take action when they think something may be wrong.
Know the Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense. But most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Call 911 immediately if you experience:
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
Sources: CDC, American Heart Association, ABC News