Want to find the way to a woman's heart? Remind her that although she probably doesn't realize it, her heart health is a critical aspect of her overall wellness. Women's heart health receives much less attention than it deserves, and that is due to a lack of awareness and recognition of some of the unique aspects of women's heart health.
Assistant Professor in UTMB's Division of Cardiology Dr. Danielle El Haddad sees patients whose heart ailments include everything from coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, to valvular heart disease and more. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in women, and Dr. El Haddad said that spotlighting often underrecognized symptoms can help our mothers, wives, sisters, grandmothers and aunts get on the path toward proactively improving their heart health and live longer, healthier lives.
Symptoms of the Silent Killer
- Tightness or pressure
- Shortness of breath that occurs with exertion but gets better with rest
- Any pain or symptom that is new or out of the ordinary
There can be other, more subtle symptoms that women often either ignore or explain away. Women should pay attention to these:
- Nagging, aching pain, even without exertion
- Aches in the jaw, neck, or left arm
Women who have had a pregnancy with a complication:
- Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy
- Gestational diabetes
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy -- a rare condition that affects the heart muscle during or shortly after pregnancy. It is characterized by a weakening of the heart muscle (myocardium), which can lead to heart failure.
- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a serious condition in which the fetus fails to grow at a normal rate during pregnancy, causing the baby to be smaller than expected for the gestational age. This condition is linked to heart failure in women later in life.
Women who have had breast cancer, take note:
- Chemotherapy can have adverse effects on the heart
- Radiation therapy delivered to the chest area can impact the heart muscle
- Some hormonal therapies, like aromatase inhibitors, could be linked to an elevated risk of heart disease in some patients
Mothers of all ages are often coping with more stress than they acknowledge, and as they get older, Dr. El Haddad said, they sometimes simply ignore potentially serious symptoms.
“Women will say 'Oh, everything hurts,'' as though that was just a normal part of getting older. But it's important to pay attention to those recurring events, such as sharp onset of pains or aches,” she said.
There are factors that elevate a woman's risk for heart disease, and although getting older is certainly the most unavoidable one, there are several lifestyle choices that are well within a woman's control.
Know your risk factors
- High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol
- Poor nutrition choices, being overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Cigarette smoking
- Family history, particularly if first-degree relatives (parents, siblings) have had a heart event between age 40 to 60
She added that it's important for women to keep their regular checkups with their primary care physicians, with whom cardiologists partner to help patients manage their risk factors. Unlike with mammograms or colonoscopies, which are recommended when a person reaches a certain age, there's no specific time to transition from seeing a primary care physician to a cardiologist.
“Go back to your risk factors,” she said. “If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of cardiac problems, your primary care physician can screen you and if it's warranted, go and see a cardiologist. If you have multiple risk factors, you should get a baseline EKG even if you're asymptomatic.”
In the meantime, Dr. El Haddad said that simple, small steps can make a substantial difference in a woman's overall heart health. Cutting back sodium, sugars, and carbohydrates, and incorporating the diet recommendations made by the American Heart Association can go a long way in reducing risks for cardiovascular disease.
“Add in some aerobic exercise—you can start with just 10 minutes of walking a day and then work up to 30 minutes a day to get your heart rate up,” she said. “Just 75 minutes a week of more vigorous exercise, like running or swimming, can make a significant positive impact on your heart health.”
Dr. El Haddad said that education is power, and it's critical to remind the important women in our lives that their heart health must be protected and prioritized.
“Women are so busy taking care of others, they do not take their own advice. Cardiovascular disease does not have to be a death sentence,” she said. “Have a conversation with your primary care physician and see if you are a candidate for screening by a cardiologist.”