Heart Health for Women

Monday, the American Heart Association released a statement that aims to identify why women carry more risk than men when it comes to cardiovascular disease. For example, high blood pressure is more strongly associated with heart attacks in women and if a young woman has diabetes her risk for heart disease is 4 to 5 times higher compared to young men. “Heart healthy should be our main priority in February and all year long to prevent our number one killer”, said Danielle Schuka, director of Hudson Valley Go Red For Women.

“Over the last 10 years or so, we’ve learned that women’s hearts are different than men’s in some significant ways, and while that’s helped reduce mortality, there’s much more to know”, Dr. Mehta said. Also, cardiac rehabilitation is prescribed less frequently for women and even when it is prescribed, women are less likely to participate in it or complete it. The symptoms of a heart attack are different for men and women, so it is critical to become familiar with them.

“Awareness is key to helping women understand what to look for and when to seek treatment”, she said. “Women should not be afraid to ask questions – we advise all women to have more open and candid discussions with their doctor about both medication and interventional treatments to prevent and treat a heart attack”.

“These guidelines are derived both for the physicians to get a better understanding of the symptoms, and the differences in treatments- and how to translate that to their patients”, Dr. Laxmi Mehta said. Women also experience spontaneous coronary artery dissection, more often than men. Most are caused by a blocked coronary artery. “Well that’s really hard to tell, is it food or is it my heart?So, most women will play it off to being stomach-related stuff as opposed to their heart”.

Cardiovascular disease is a killer for both men and women; however, for the past thirty years the death rate has been higher for women than men.

Wells also points out that there are biological, social and psychological factors that change the way women experience heart disease and act on its symptoms.

Part of the problem may be because women are under-represented in clinical trials for heart disease, generally making up only 20 percent of enrolled patients.