Heart of a Woman
There is a killer on the loose, and it’s targeting women at a devastating rate! Heart Disease is the cause of 43% of deaths among women every year. There are a lot of reasons for this horrifying statistic, but none sadder, perhaps, than lack of knowledge.
There is much confusion as to what the symptoms of a heart attack are in women. Sadly, this confusion pertains to the medical professionals as well as the general public. This is probably because for so many years, this was considered more of a man’s disease than a woman’s. The popular belief is that heart attacks are always accompanied by chest pains, WRONG!
Symptoms in women
Women don’t always have chest pains when having a heart attack. Because even doctors are trained to look for this, many women are turned away from emergency rooms and sent to their ultimate death. Here are some of the symptoms women have when experiencing a heart attack:
- Pain in the shoulder
- Pain in the neck
- Pain in the jaw
- Shortness of breath
- The quick onset of nausea
Those are just a few of the signs, and as you can see, they don’t fit the pattern we’ve been taught to look for. If you have any or all of these symptoms you should seek immediate medical attention. Don’t feel like you’re being paranoid, or that you will take up valuable time and space in the emergency room. Too often, that is what prevents women from taking proper care of themselves.
This is one of the other reasons so many women die from heart attacks. Traditionally, women are the care-takers, and don’t take the time to care for themselves. This could lead to devastating consequences. Because the symptoms mimic so many other problems, women tend to brush it off as nothing and hope it will go away. This is probably why, “women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men,” according to www.familydoctor.org.
Although genetics play a major role in who will or will not get Heart Disease, there is still a lot you can do to help minimize the effects, or possibly not get it at all.
Prevention
There are three big risk factors when talking about preventing Heart Disease and heart attacks, they are; smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Controlling all of these can significantly reduce your chances of having a heart attack, and surviving one if you do. But, there are other measures you can take to improve your chances of living a long and healthy life as well.
- Get regular exercise
- Eat a low-fat diet
- Avoid excess stress
- Get regular physicals
- Lead a happy and fulfilling life
These are just a few of the important facts about Heart Disease and heart attacks in women. If you want more information visit www.americanheart.org.
