Heart Disease And Women
Coronary heart disease is a disease of the heart’s blood vessels that causes heart attacks. Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, claiming more female lives than the next 16 causes of death combined.
Post-reproductive age women are most at risk. However, pre-menopausal women are also at risk for cardiovascular disease if they have cardiac risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol and family history of premature cardiovascular disease.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE HEART DISEASE?
Cardiovascular disease can be silent but usually has symptoms. Lack of blood flow to the heart muscle can cause symptoms of chest discomfort, shortness of breath, fatigue and sometimes palpitations and dizziness.
Talking to your doctor about your symptoms, along with good routine follow-up care are necessary first steps to determine if any further evaluation is necessary. Many cardiac risk factors can be controlled, modified or eliminated, including hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, smoking and obesity/physical inactivity.
Women show different signs than men do prior to a heart attack. Nearly 90% of women with a heart attack will have chest pain the same as men. Historically, however, chest pain has not been perceived to be of great prognostic value in women or a great clue that heart disease is really present.
Chest pain can have different origins and women can experience uncharacteristic features of cardiac chest discomfort. The likelihood of chest pain coming from the heart depends to a great extent on the person’s particular cardiac risk profile.
For example, a pre-menopausal woman who smokes is as likely to have cardiac chest pain as a postmenopausal woman with hypertension. All chest discomfort in women must be taken seriously and evaluated for its source, whether cardiac or otherwise. One should not wait to seek medical attention if there are symptoms of chest discomfort with or without physical exertion.
Some studies have shown that women who tell their doctors about chest pain are not treated as aggressively as are men. Women who are not satisfied with a physician’s evaluation of their chest discomfort should be persistent and seek another opinion.
WHAT ARE PVCs AND ARE THEY DANGEROUS?
A woman’s system changes as she enters menopause and can result in PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). A woman who experiences irregular heart beats or *PVCs* may have extra beats that are relatively harmless or it may be a sign of some form of heart disease.
If a woman has palpitations (the sensation of fast and/or irregular heartbeat) or other symptoms such as dizziness or shortness of breath, she should inform her doctor. Your doctor can take a careful history and perform a physical exam.
In some cases, further testing of your heart may be necessary to determine the specific heart rhythm that may be causing the sensation of palpitations. In some individuals, caffeine products, alcohol and stress can provoke extra beats.
