The heart of the matter
The heart is the most vital organ in the body, says Dr. Mehreen Qureshi of PinnacleHealth Cardiovascular Institute (pinnaclehealth.org). “Its blood supply comes from three main channels or arteries known as the coronary arteries. These are several millimeters in size. Women tend to have smaller hearts and narrower arteries,” she says.
“Earlier in life, prior to menopause, women are protected to some extent from developing blockages in the heart arteries” because of estrogen’s favorable effect on cholesterol. But, after menopause, “the incidence of heart disease increases and matches that in men within a decade. At age 65 a woman’s risk of heart disease equals that of a man,” says Qureshi.
No. 1 killer of women
Nonetheless, some people still believe heart disease is not something women have to worry about.
“[Women] can no longer think they are safe from heart disease,’’ says Dr. Peter Alogona, a cardiologist with Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute (pennstatehershey.org). “It’s the biggest killer of women, more than breast cancer.”
But, while women have heart disease just like men do, the way the disease manifests can be different.
“Women appear to have a higher incidence of symptoms and disease [than men] without typical obstructions in their arteries. They may have small vessel disease or other problems caused by vascular inflammation,” says Alogona.
In addition, Alogona says, it isn’t just post-menopausal women who have heart disease, as “the incidence of disease in young women is greater than previously appreciated.”
Alogona also stresses that cigarette smoking “creates more risk in women than men” in relation to heart disease.
“Discontinuing this horrible habit is a must,” says Alogona.
Symptoms different for men and women
We all know what it means when a man puts his hand on his chest and winces in pain.
But a woman who is having a heart attack might not have any chest pain.
“They are more likely to have unusual symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, indigestion, breaking into a cold sweat, severe fatigue or flu like symptoms,” says Dr. Gurpinder Chatha, a cardiologist with The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health (lancastergeneralhealth.org) and medical director at Women’s Heart Health Clinic at Women & Babies Hospital.
Chatha stresses that a lack of symptoms doesn’t mean there is no risk. “Half of men and almost two-thirds of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms,” she says.
Another difference between men and women with heart attacks is that women are more likely to die before reaching the hospital, says Chatha.
Women are also “more likely to die in the first year after a heart attack and are much more likely to become disabled after a heart attack,” Chatha says.
Even with the differences, men and women can make the same lifestyle changes to help prevent heart disease.
Qureshi of Pinnacle Health says it’s never too early to create a healthier lifestyle to reduce the risk of cardiac issues.
“Switching to a Mediterranean diet, which consists of primarily fruits, vegetables and fish, has shown to decrease the incidence of heart disease. Avoiding red meat has been beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels. Regular exercise helps prevent heart disease and also assists greatly in early detection of symptoms and treatment of disease if one was to suffer from it,” she says.
