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The term heart disease refers to several types of heart disease, including coronary artery disease, heart attacks, irregular heartbeats and heart failure. Although heart disease is sometimes considered a male disease, almost as many women as men die each year from heart disease in the United States.
Despite growing awareness in recent decades, only about half (56%) of women recognize that heart disease is their leading cause of death.
About one in 16 women, aged 20 and over (6.2%), have coronary artery disease; the most common type of heart disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, killing 299,578 women in 2017, or about one in five women deaths!
Women and their health care providers believed that women were not as prone to heart attacks as men and that only older women had heart problems. Women do not always realize that they are at high risk for heart disease and heart attack.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among African American and white women in the United States. Among Indian women of America and from Alaska, heart disease and cancer cause roughly the same number of deaths each year. For Hispanic and Pacific Island women, heart disease is the second leading cause of death after cancer.
Symptoms may include unusual pain in the neck, chest, shoulders, jaw, abdomen and / or back. In addition, there may be shortness of breath, sweating, heartbeat, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Women are more likely to have symptoms of chest pain (only 40% have overwhelming chest pain). The pain may be more like indigestion and may not be constant. In women, the symptoms may not be pain, but unexplained anxiety, nausea, dizziness, palpitations, and cold sweats. There can also be overwhelming weakness or fatigue. Women are also more likely than men to have a heart attack.
Cardiac risk factors in women include smoking and smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of heart problems, inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, depression / anxiety / stress and gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy.
How can women improve their heart health? It is very important to follow the recommendations of your doctor. These recommendations may include: quitting smoking and other forms of smoking, knowing your blood pressure and taking control of it, having a healthy diet for the heart, being physically active, controlling blood sugar, reducing stress, giving priority to your well being, recharge your body and mind, and get regular medical checkups. Do not be afraid to make an appointment with your primary care provider to discuss heart health.
If you have had a heart attack, do not walk away and hope not to have another one. It is very important to follow up with your doctor and discuss a rehab program after a heart attack, heart surgery or procedure.
For more information, visit the CDC's website dedicated to public health efforts related to heart disease. These include the following programs: Million Hearts and WISEWOMEN. The American Heart Association, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Women's Health (OWH), the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood (NHLBI) also have excellent information on heart disease in women. .
Dr. Christine Nevin-Woods, former director and physician of the Pueblo City Department of Health and current medical director of the El Paso County Department of Health, holds a medical degree and a master's degree in public health and preventive medicine.
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