Women's Heart Health: Fact Sheet

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 24 Jan 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Heart disease is the nation's number one killer for women. The well-known heart attack symptoms acute pain, tightness, burning and a dull ache in the chest describe what men typically experience during an attack. For many women the signs of a heart attack are completely different and can go unrecognized. Dr. Karla Kurrelmeyer, cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, offers the following information for women:

Symptoms

Nausea, shoulder pain and exhaustion can be the only signs a female experiences during an attack. Heart disease tends to come later in women than in men, on average 10 years after menopause. Women are more likely to die from their heart attacks.

Immediacy

Most people know to get to an emergency room immediately when they've identified that they're having a heart attack. However, research shows that women go to the hospital on average one full hour later than men do after experiencing an attack. Most benefits of medical treatment occur in the first six hours after an attack, so delayed medical treatment reduces chances of full recovery. This could be due to a lack of education about onset and symptoms.

Treatment

Clot-buster drugs may be immediately given to break up the clot and allow blood to get through to the heart. If necessary a balloon or a stent can be placed in the clogged artery to open the artery and strengthen the artery wall. Sometimes surgery and other procedures are required, depending on the situation.

Prevention

Maintain low cholesterol levels. Exercise. Quit smoking. If you have diabetes, keep it under control. Monitor your blood pressure, and keep it in check. Know your family medical history. If there's a history of heart disease, start earlier and be even more diligent about prevention.

Education

For more information on heart disease, see http://www.debakeyheartcenter.com.

Methodist Hospital, Houston
6565 Fannin St.
Houston
TX 77030
United States
http://www.methodisthealth.com