Good Healthcare Requires Treatment of Your Mind, Body, and Soul

Heart Disease And Women: What You Should Know

21 June 2018 by Hugh Larson

Eating a well-balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and sleep, and visiting your doctor for periodic checkups are all essential tasks if you want to enjoy a healthy life. Unfortunately, many people will still struggle with conditions and diseases that affect their physical and emotional health.

The heart is one of the most important parts of your body, but you may not be placing enough time or emphasis on protecting this imperative organ. It may be surprising to learn, but heart disease affects 44 million women in the United States. Proper understanding is important for an efficient diagnosis and effective treatment. Here are a few interesting facts you need to know about heart disease and women.     

Causes Unknown, but there are Risk Factors

One of the most important things you need to know is that heart disease can affect any woman. Certain issues, such as high cholesterol levels, hypertension, and obesity, can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, other factors may play a role in this deadly disease.

Smoking does increase your risk of developing heart disease in addition to a variety of other disorders. If you live a sedentary lifestyle where you are inactive most of the time, you may also be at risk of heart problems.

Diabetes, menopause, and depression and anxiety disorders can also increase your risk of developing heart disease.

If you are interested in reducing your risk of heart disease and improving your overall health and wellness, be sure to manage cholesterol and blood pressure levels with medication. You should also consider dieting and exercising to reduce your weight.

Ideally, you should quit smoking and using tobacco products as well.

Symptoms May Be Different for Women

Another interesting fact that may surprise you is that the symptoms of cardiovascular disease may be different for women than they are for men.

A heart attack is the most common sign you have heart disease, but you may not even experience the classic symptoms. Men most always have severe chest pain during a heart attack. Women, on the other hand, may not have any chest pain. Here are a few other symptoms that may occur during a heart attack:

• Discomfort in the neck, jaw, upper back, or shoulder
• Abdominal discomfort
• Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
• Pain and discomfort in one or both arms
• Abnormal fatigue
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Nausea/vomiting

If you are experiencing one or more of the above symptoms, consult your doctor or cardiology clinic. If you are experiencing all of these symptoms or actual chest pain, seek out immediate medical care.

Heart disease may be common, but it is not understood well. This guide will give you more insight into heart disease and how it affects women.

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