What Women Need to Know About Heart Disease - KUSI News - San Diego, CA

What Women Need to Know About Heart Disease - KUSI News - San Diego, CA: "Many women underestimate their risk for heart problems because of the misconception that cardiovascular disease primarily affects men. The truth is that nearly twice as many women die from heart disease than from all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease claims the life of one in four women in the United States, while breast cancer claims one in 30.

And women age 45 and older are more likely than men to die within a year of their first heart attack, according to the American Heart Association.

So why are the risks different for women? A number of factors are believed to be at play, including hormones (especially estrogen), which drop off after menopause when heart risks increase, and a smaller heart size, which could increase vulnerability to cardiovascular problems as key parts of the muscle become weaker over time.

Differences between the sexes also appear in the symptoms related to heart disease.

While both men and women can feel chest pain and break out in a cold sweat during a heart attack, earlier symptoms in women can be more subtle and appear months before a cardiac event. They include:

• Fatigue or weakness
• Pain, pressure or tightness in the center of the chest
• Pain between the shoulder blades
• Pain that spreads to the upper body, neck or jaw
• Unusual sweating, nausea or vomiting
• Sudden dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Problems sleeping

Fortunately, there are number of things women can do to lower their risk of heart disease, said Christina Adams, M.D., a cardiologist with Scripps Clinic in La Jolla.

“Women can start by building their diet around foods that keep ‘good’ HDL cholesterol high and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol low, and by checking cholesterol levels as recommended by your doctor,” Dr. Adams said. “Regular exercise also helps to lower LDL cholesterol and strengthen your heart.”

Many people also are able to reduce stress in their lives by practicing yoga, meditation and mindful based stress reduction."



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