Heart Disease: The #1 Killer of Women

By Mary Yeow

Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate 2006

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy , Baltimore , MD

Heart disease isn’t just a disease for men. Millions of women have it too. In fact, it’s the #1 killer of American men and women over the age of 25. It kills more women than cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer’s, diabetes and accidents combined.

Heart disease sometimes affects women in different ways than men. Women’s blood vessels may not appear as clogged as men’s and doctors sometimes believe women are at lower risk than men. Studies show that because of this, women were less likely to be given standard treatment. These same women had a higher chance of being hospitalized for angina (chest pain) or to have more chest pain than men who were treated more aggressively. Every woman should talk with her doctor if they have any concerns about heart disease symptoms – such as chest pain (tightness or a squeezing feeling in the chest), pain in the shoulder, arm, back or jaw, nausea and/or vomiting, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, or sudden changes in sight, speech, or coordination – and insist on a complete check-up.

STAY FIT AND EXERCISE

Both you and your doctor are responsible for your health. There are many things you can do to lower your chances of getting heart disease. Studies in women have shown that both weight gain and lack of exercise increase a woman’s risk of getting heart disease. That means that a thin woman who is inactive is still at risk. Also, an overweight woman who exercises is at risk for heart disease. A healthy weight includes a measure of body fat or your body mass index (BMI). You can calculate your BMI at http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/. Exercise refers to aerobic activity such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming. Losing weight and exercising are both important to decreasing your heart disease risk. 4

Along with keeping up a healthy weight and exercising daily, there are certain medical conditions and genetic factors that can also raise your heart disease risk. Every woman should know if she has any of these heart disease risks.

Find out if you have a family history of heart disease (father, mother, siblings).

If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, you could be at higher risk. Talk to your doctor about your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If they are too high, drugs may be required, along with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

It is never too early to make changes to your lifestyle. Recent studies in older women found that changing to a low-fat diet at their age was not enough to reduce their risk of heart disease. Despite these studies, eating healthy won’t hurt you, no matter when you start to make the change. For the most benefit, start to make changes now. If you begin to make small adjustments in the way you eat and how often you exercise, you can keep up those changes as you get older.

It may seem impossible to change the way you live. Remember, these are goals. You don’t have to change everything all at once. Start with what seems possible to you; then work on meeting these goals.

Risks of heart disease in women:	Goals to reduce heart disease risk:
High blood pressure (more than 140/90)	BP less than 120/80 mm Hg
Diabetes or fasting blood glucose (FBG) greater than 100 mg/dL	FBG less than 100 mg/dL
Low HDL (“good cholesterol”)	HDL more than 50 mg/dL
High LDL (“bad cholesterol”)	LDL less than 100 mg/dL
High triglycerides (TG)	TG less than 150 mg/dL
Smoking	Stop smoking
Overweight	BMI less than 25 kg/m 2; waist circumference less than 35 inches
Inactive lifestyle	30 minutes of aerobic activity at least 6 times/week
Positive family history	Heart disease, heart attack, or stroke in male relatives younger than 55 or female relatives younger than 65
Age (over 65)
Poor diet	Lots of fruits and vegetables Low-fat dairy products Low saturated and total fat Sodium intake less than 2.4g/day Alcohol intake less than 2 servings/day

Heart disease affects one out of every three women. 1 Many factors can increase your risk. Take steps now to reduce your risk of heart disease so that you can live life to the fullest.

REFERENCES:

American Heart Association (AHA) website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org. Accessed on 07 February 2006 .

Anand SS, Xie CC, Mehta S et al. Differences in the management and prognosis of women and men who suffer from acute coronary syndromes. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005;46(10):1845-1851.

Daly C, Clemens F, Lopez Sendon JL et al. Gender differences in the management and clinical outcome of stable angina. Circulation. 2006;113(4):490-498.

Li TY, Rana JS, Manson JE et al. Obesity as compared with physical activity in predicting risk of coronary heart disease in women. Circulation. 2006;113(4):499-506.

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute/National Institutes of Health. Standard BMI calculator. Available at: http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/. Accessed on 07 February 2006 .

Mosca L, Mochari H, Christian A et al. National study of women’s awareness, preventive action, and barriers to cardiovascular health. Circulation. 2006;113(4):525-534.

Howard BV , Van Horn L, Hsia J et al. Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial . JAMA. 2006; 295(6): 655-666.

Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR et al. Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003;42:1206