In Women, Heart Attacks Don’t Look Like Heart Attacks

In Women, Heart Attacks Don’t Look Like Heart Attacks

作者：Catherine Dao， M.D.
专业: 心脏病学

For women in the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death across all ages 和 races. 不仅仅是癌症. 不仅仅是中风. 超过 事故. 事实上, nearly 1 in 3 women will succumb to the disease – that’s almost one death per minute.

为什么这么高? While the prevalence of risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure 和 high cholesterol, undoubtedly contribute to this sobering statistic, so does the simple fact that many of the symptoms that we typically associate 心脏病发作 are based on how it presents 在男性. For many women, a 心脏病 just doesn’t seem like a 心脏病.

So, what, exactly, does a 心脏病 look like in woman 和 can it be 预防?

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Many women don’t experience the crushing chest pain 常见的ly associated 心脏病发作. More 常见的ly, it’s felt as a pressure or discomfort in the chest that may not even be severe enough to cause alarm. 事实上, some women may not report feeling chest pain at all. 使事情复杂化 further, many of the symptoms that are typical of 心脏病 in women 是真的, 真的 常见的.

So, what should you be looking for? Any combination of the following symptoms:

• Pressure or tightness in the chest
• 呼吸急促（气促）
• Discomfort in the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdomen
• 恶心或呕吐
• 出汗
• 乏力
• Dizzy- or lightheadedness

看到? Like I said, a lot of these symptoms are 真的 常见的. Unfortunately, because these symptoms are so 常见的, a lot of women downplay symptoms or don’t seek medical attention until heart damage has already been done – if they seek it at all.

了解你的风险

While some risk factors are 常见的 to heart disease in general, others play more significant role in women. It’s also important to note that heart disease can affect women at any age, particularly if risk factors are present or if they have a family history of heart disease. 除了 to high blood pressure, high cholesterol 和 obesity, here are some risk factors that are specific to or increase risk 在女性:

Diabetes – Adults with diabetes are 可能性增加2-4倍 to die from heart disease, with women on the higher end of this statistic.

心理健康 & Stress – While stress is a well-known factor in heart disease, 心理健康 conditions like depression 和 anxiety also 影响心脏健康 due to the impact that they have on one’s ability to lead a healthy 生活方式. 亚洲博彩关于 心理健康 和 管理压力.

Smoking – Smoking increases a woman’s risk for heart disease more than it does among men.

Menopause – Lowered levels of estrogen increases the risk of coronary microvascular disease (buildup or damage within smaller blood vessels), which may also account for the chest discomfort rather than pain experienced 在女性.

Pregnancy – Complications women may experience during pregnancy, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, increase their risk for developing these conditions after pregnancy. Diabetes 和 blood pressure well-known heart disease risk factors.

降低风险

While some things, like menopause or family history, can’t be helped, other risk factors can be mitigated or eliminated by leading a healthy 生活方式. Things you can do to reduce your risk for heart disease include:

• Get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• 戒烟.
• Eat a diet rich in whole grains, fruits 和 vegetables, 和 lean meats.
• Avoid saturated or trans fats, sugars 和 salts.

Even with 生活方式 modifications, heart disease 和 心脏病s may 是不可避免的. 和你的医生谈谈 about what else can be done to reduce or manage your risk factors. 更多, importantly, pay attention to your body. If something doesn’t feel quite right, seek medical attention immediately. 当你的生活还在 the line, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

If you’d like to learn more about the heart 和 vascular program 在亚洲博彩医院 visit the hospital website.

发布于2019年1月