WOMEN AND HEART DISEASE
Naomi Johnson once wrote ‘The strength of a woman is in her kind-hearted ways’ but how do their hearts differ from men’s.
What kind of heart does a woman have?
5 things to know about women and heart disease
- Women’s arteries are smaller than men’s. While male hormones enlarge the blood vessels women’s hormones make them smaller. Because they are smaller they need less plaque to form a blockage. Smaller blood vessels may be behind other vascular symptoms such as migraines and inflammatory diseases.
- Chest pain is the most common sign of heart attack. However in women they may experience different signs; epigastric pain, malaise, severe fatigue, shortness of breath, back pain, left arm pain or jaw pain.
- Broken heart syndrome: women are more likely to suffer from broken heart syndrome. This occurs when you experience a major stress and it causes temporary damage to the pump of the heart. It is thought to be related to a surge in adrenaline. It may occur in response to an unexpected loss of a family member, a job loss or another significant stress. Most people make a full cardiac recovery but will need help dealing with the stressor.
- Menopause: Low levels of oestrogen after menopause pose a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in the smaller blood vessels. Hormone replacement therapy manages symptoms only. It does not affect your risk of heart disease.
- A lack of physical activity is a major risk factor of heart disease. As a group women are less active than men.
- Smoking has a greater risk factor in women.
- If you had high blood pressure during your pregnancy or gestational diabetes then you are predisposed to these conditions later in life. These are significant risk factors of heart disease.
Learn about your risk factors of Heart Disease
