The risk of heart disease in women is often under-reported, under-appreciated and under-diagnosed – with deadly consequences!

Five facts about heart disease in women

Fact 1: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women.
Fact 2: More women than men die from heart disease.
Fact 3: Heart disease kills six times more women than breast cancer.
Fact 4: One in four South African women suffers from heart disease.
Fact 5: Research has differentiated the risk factors that uniquely put women at risk for heart disease and many of these risk factors can be addressed through lifestyle changes.

Five risk factors for heart disease in women

  1. Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome with its characteristic abdominal fat, high blood pressure, glucose intolerance and high triglycerides has a greater impact on women than on men in relation to heart disease.
  2. Low levels of oestrogen after menopause significantly increases a woman’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the small blood vessels.
  3. Smoking is a risk factor in women for developing heart disease, more so than it is in men. Female smokers are twice as likely as male smokers to suffer a heart attack.
  4. Diabetes is also an increased risk factor in women. A woman who has had a heart attack and also suffers from diabetes has double the risk of a second heart attack than a non-diabetic woman.
  5. Women and sometimes their doctors still under-appreciate the risk of heart disease and because of the difference in symptoms, heart disease in women is sometimes not recognised as such and mistaken for other diseases, stress or hypochondria.

Five things you can do to reduce the risk for heart disease

  1. Be more active. Exercise for between half an hour and an hour every day on most days of the week.
  2. Eat healthily. A diet that is low in salt, cholesterol and saturated fats and includes a variety of fruit and vegetables, nuts, and fatty fish such as salmon, is essential.
  3. Stay away from cigarettes. Quit or don’t start smoking. A woman’s chance of getting a heart attack doubles even if she smokes as little as up to four cigarettes a day.
  4. Maintain a healthy weight. Research shows a waist circumference above 88 cm puts you at an increased risk of heart disease. You should aim to keep your body mass index below 24.9.
  5. Keep stress under control. Women suffering chronic stress or depression are at greater risk of heart attacks. Make time to unwind and relax, and find help if you feel you can’t cope.

 

Sources

 

heartdisease.about.com
www.health.harvard.edu
www.heartfoundation.co.za
www.mayoclinic.com

 

Revised by M van Os