Getting to the heart of the matter HEART DISEASE IS AS SERIOUS AN ISSUE FOR WOMEN AS IT IS FOR MEN – BUT AWARENESS IS STILL LAGGING BEHIND. FINDS OUT MORE
EART attacks are still often seen as a ‘male health’ issue, yet coronary heart disease (CHD) – which is the main cause of heart attacks – is the biggest killer of women worldwide.
However, studies show women are more than 50% more likely than men to receive a misdiagnosis for a heart attack, and while chest pain is the most common symptom, women can have subtler symptoms.
More than 800,000 women currently live with CHD across the UK, and generally speaking, it’s a bigger health threat than breast cancer – yet many aren’t really aware of the signs.
“Most patients who have a heart attack get chest pain, however women are more likely to experience other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, back pain, dizziness, light-headedness, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue,” says Professor Jamil Mayet, a leading cardiologist specialising in valvular heart disease, hypertension and sports cardiology for OneWelbeck (onewelbeck.com).
“Having said that, traditional symptoms of a pressure or tightness coming and going in the centre of the chest lasting several minutes, discomfort in one or both arms and/ or the jaw also commonly occur in women suffering a heart attack.”
Prof Mayet says other signs, such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness, may also occur with the pain. with time too, so there isn’t necessarily one single point to start taking it seriously – the earlier the better.
However, Prof Mayet adds: “In women, there is a steep increase in cardiovascular risk at the menopause, and if there hasn’t been an assessment prior to that, this is a good time to start.”
Prof Mayet says the heart can be affected during pregnancy – but generally speaking, there is no need for alarm.
“Pregnancy increases the work that the heart has to do by about 50%. Occasionally, if there is a serious pre-existing heart condition, this can cause a problem.
“Very occasionally, pregnancy itself can cause heart disease and, in particular, weaken the heart muscle. However, this is rare and the vast majority of pregnancies do not cause any cardiac problems,” he assures.
“It has been shown that the more children a woman has, the more likely she is to develop heart disease in later life, but it is still uncertain what the cause of this is.”
Chest pain is a common symptom of a heart attack like high blood pressure and heart disease can be helpful.
“It’s been estimated that in some cases, this may double the risk,” notes Prof Mayet. “Ethnicity also importantly influences the chance of developing heart disease.
“In particular, South Asian ethnicity strongly increases the chance of developing heart disease.
“African-Caribbean ethnicity is very strongly linked with high blood pressure and strokes.”
A family history does not mean you are destined to have heart disease – but Prof Mayet says it does make it that bit more important to be aware and seek advice about looking after your heart and managing any increased risk.
Healthy lifestyle measures are still very important.
If women can’t find out their family history, Prof Mayet says they “should make sure they know what their blood pressure is, what their cholesterol level is, and should check that they don’t have diabetes”.
Your GP or nurse can check all of these for you.
“In a lifestyle sense, you should avoid smoking, have a healthy diet and weight and exercise regularly,” adds Prof Mayet.
A heart attack is a medical emergency, so you should always call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you suspect you or someone you know is having one.
If you are concerned about your heart attack risk, speak to your GP for more information.