If you’re like many women, you tend to think of heart disease as a condition that affects mostly men. But, the fact is, heart disease is the leading cause of death in women.
“While most women are aware that one out of every eight women will develop breast cancer, they are surprised to learn that heart disease strikes one out of every three women,” said Kathleen M. Heintz, D.O., clinical cardiologist at the Cooper Heart Institute.
“And, unfortunately,” added Cooper cardiologist Andrea M. Russo, M.D., “studies continue to show a tendency to ignore early warning signs and attribute them to stress or anxiety.”
Dr. Russo noted that, “With six female cardiologists on staff at Cooper, we are attuned to women’s unique needs. We listen to our patients, examine their risk factors, perform the necessary tests and get women the answers they need.”
Know – and Manage – Your Cardiac Risks
Because the best way to treat heart disease can be through prevention, it’s important for women to be aware of their risk factors.
“The risk factors for heart disease are the same for men and women. Smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and a family history of heart disease all elevate an individual’s risk. Obesity and lack of exercise also can contribute to the development of the disease.
“Diabetes, however, is a greater risk factor for women. While diabetes can triple a man’s risk for heart disease, it can raise the risk a woman faces by up to seven times,” Dr. Heintz said.
Dr. Russo noted that once women understand their risk factors, they can help prevent the development of heart disease by making simple lifestyle changes. “Regular exercise, especially following menopause, can help reduce weight gain, and this in turn can help manage cholesterol and diabetes, which accelerate the progression of heart disease,” Dr. Heintz said.
Cooper cardiologists (from left): Leslie S. Squires, M.D.; Andrea M. Russo, M.D.; Maritza Cotto, M.D.; Kathleen M. Heintz, D.O.; Neeta Datwani, M.D.; (not pictured) Annie M. Peter, M.D.
Talk to Your Doctor About Heart Disease Symptoms
Women have unique differences that may require special testing and treatment to provide the most effective cardiovascular care. To achieve better heart health for their female patients, the experts at the Cooper Heart Institute utilize sophisticated technology to provide the most advanced diagnostic testing and the latest in leading-edge treatment options.
“But having the most advanced technology available is only part of the equation,” Dr. Russo said. “It’s also vital to ensure that women have access to it. For example, women make up 50 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder that affects millions of Americans. Yet, women represent only about 20 percent to 25 percent of those who undergo catheter ablation, a potentially curable procedure for the treatment of this problem.
“Because we understand potential gender differences in presentation and how certain cardiac conditions may uniquely affect women, we can ensure that women get the care they need and deserve,” Dr. Russo said.
“Above all,” added Dr. Heintz, “we want women to be persistent. If you feel like something is wrong, don’t wait. The sooner we can isolate the problem, the faster we can make your heart healthy again.”
So what are the “early warning signs? This article promises to tell the reader, then doesn’t.
Yep, useless article!
I agree — all this tells us is that there are risks — I must have missed the early warning signs. Someone needs to check your headlines to be sure your article fits what is promised.
I was hoping to learn more. Not much to read about. Bummer.
Wish to know, what are the early warning signs? The article doesn’t have that information.
I agree, except for the mention of diabetes increasing the risk of heart disease 7 fold, there were no other warning signs of heart disease in women – disappointed in the article.
ha, to funny. not even a clue as to what they are.
Yes, please do a follow up article that tells what the early warning signs are.
Am I the only one who saw that high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes were listed in the article as risk factors? I’ll agree that these aren’t groundbreaking, but I enjoyed the article.
Risk factors aren’t the same as warning signs. People would probably like to know what to do if they feel some unusual discomfort in their chest and upper abdomen – you can’t go to the ER every time you have a pain. When could it be serious?
We appreciate the feedback and I wanted to let you know that we inadvertently omitted part of this week’s article when we posted it up. Unfortunately, as your comments reflected, it was a slightly important piece of the article, since it included the list of “warning signs” the headline promoted.
We’ve added that section back in and thank everyone for letting us know!
Thanks for reading eHealth and the great comments.
Andy Gradel
Internet Marketing Manager
Cooper University Hospital
Thanks so much for correcting the article, and adding the information.