February is American Heart Month, an annual observance focused on raising awareness about cardiovascular disease prevention, encouraging a heart-healthy lifestyle, and supporting those affected by cardiovascular conditions.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Approximately one person dies every 33 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease, amounting to nearly 695,000 people dying from the disease in 2021.
In the past, heart disease was thought of as a disease most commonly found in men. Lately, heart disease in women continues to be of particular concern. While many types of CVD affect both men and women, there are some conditions that may have unique characteristics or impact on women. Some of the different types of cardiovascular disease that affect women in the U.S. include: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction), Heart Failure, Arrhythmias, Valvular Heart Disease, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD).
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, surpassing all forms of cancer combined, which underscores the significant impact of cardiovascular disease on women’s health. Over 60 million women (44%) in the United States are affected with cardiovascular disease, which can affect women at any age. A substantial number of deaths attributable to cardiovascular complications in women. In 2021, over 310,661 women (1 in every 5 female deaths) died from cardiovascular disease or its complications, despite decades of progress in risk factor detection and treatment. Nationally, men have experienced a much larger, sustained national decline in cardiovascular disease prevalence over the past 60 years compared to their female counterparts.
Perhaps one reason for this disparity is the difference in heart disease symptoms experienced by men and women. Women may experience no symptoms of cardiovascular disease, as two out of every three women who die suddenly from cardiovascular disease did not have symptoms. Women may present with the classic angina chest pain often associated with heart attacks in men, characterized as a dull or heavy chest discomfort that may radiate to the neck, jaw, or throat. Oftentimes, women may experience different or atypical symptoms of cardiovascular disease, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, burning chest sensation, or pain in the abdomen, back, neck, or jaw, rather than the classic chest pain often associated with heart attacks in men.
So what’s a girl to do?
Benjamin Franklin said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Simply stated, it is better to stop something bad from happening than it is to deal with it after it has happened, especially when it comes to taking care of your heart.
Your primary care physician can help you stop heart disease before it starts by working with you to develop a game plan to control risk factors and continuously monitor your health. If a problem arises, your doctor will help you obtain early intervention which may prevent a serious cardiac event.
Your physician’s assessment of your heart health will take into consideration risk factors you cannot control, such as genetics and family history, while continuously monitoring those risk factors you can control.
There are several medical conditions and lifestyle choices that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease in men and women, including high blood pressure, an unhealthy diet, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, and depression.
Know your numbers
Women also have additional risk factors that need to be considered when evaluating heart health. These include reproductive health (e.g., polycystic ovary syndrome), history of pregnancy complications (e.g., gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low/high birth weight), autoimmune diseases, and hormonal factors (e.g., early menses, menopause). Some risk factors, such as smoking and diabetes, may also have a stronger impact on cardiovascular disease risk in women compared to men.
It is essential for women to be aware of these risk factors and to take proactive steps to maintain heart health, including adopting a healthy active lifestyle, managing chronic conditions, and seeking regular medical check-ups and early screening. In addition, heart health education, awareness, research and prevention strategies from early childhood are vital in the fight against heart disease.
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