The reality of cardiovascular disease as the number one cause of death for women in the U.S.1 is staggering: heart disease kills a woman every 80 seconds.2 Conversely, it’s believed education and lifestyle changes can prevent as much as 80 percent of cardiac events.3 This February 2ndsecond, join the American Heart Association as they Go Red for Women® together and wear red to celebrate women taking control of their risk of heart disease. Join the movement by brushing up on the following need-to-knows about women and heart disease.
Discuss your personal risk of heart disease with your physician at your next well-woman visit.link opens in a new window With your medical and family history at her fingertips, your doctor can establish a baseline for important blood tests, calculate your risk and suggest an appropriate prevention plan. And if you don’t have a primary care doctor, you should. Get recommendations from friends, family, or another physician you trust to ensure you have a doctor who knows you and your history and can be there in sickness and in prevention.
To monitor your risk of heart disease, it’s important to keep track of five important numbers: blood pressure, total cholesterol, good cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI (body mass index).4 Maybe your numbers are where they need to be (your doctor can help determine those you have the most control over and the best ways to get your numbers into a healthy range), or possibly, you have one or two to work on. Either way, knowing your baseline numbers is a great way to understand and manage your own risk.
Despite educational outreach, many women don’t know the gender differences when it comes to heart attack symptoms. While men most often experience chest pain or pressure, women are more likely to experience other signs as well.5 The most common symptoms for women are:
Several heart risk factors can be positively affected by your lifestyle. Consider making the following choices to lower your personal risk.
References:
1,2 “Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Aug. 2017.
3 “National Wear Red Day.” Go Red For Women®, American Heart Association.
4 “Know Your Numbers?” Go Red For Women®, American Heart Association.
5,6 “Heart Attack Symptoms in Women.” American Heart Association , American Heart Association, 5 Dec. 2017.
7,8 “Sugar & Heart Disease -- Go Red For Women.” Go Red For Women®, American Heart Association, 23 Jan. 2015.
9 “Cholesterol and Heart Disease - Go Red For Women.” Go Red For Women®, American Heart Association, 17 Jan. 2017.
10 “Weight Management - Go Red For Women.” Go Red For Women®, American Heart Association, 25 Feb. 2014.
11 “Prevention: What You Can Do.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 May 2013.