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Heart Disease: A Woman's Biggest Health Threat

Posted on: Friday, 28 February 2003, 06:00 CST

Heart Disease: A Woman's Biggest Health Threat

source: HealthScoutNews

By Ross Grant

HealthScoutNews Reporter

When it comes to heart disease, what women don't know can kill them.

For instance, most women don't realize that heart disease is a bigger threat than any other illness they might face. A recent American Heart Association survey found that a majority of women thought breast cancer was the leading cause of death.

"One in 28 women will die of breast cancer, whereas almost one in two will die of heart disease," says Dr. Robert Bonow, president of the heart association and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"Partly, it's that women are less aware of their risk factors. They are less likely to see heart disease as an illness that will kill them rather than men," Bonow adds.

In 2000, cardiovascular diseases claimed the lives of 505,661 American women. In the same year, 440,175 men died from these diseases, which range from heart attack to atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries.

With those disturbing statistics as a backdrop, February has been designated American Heart Month. And the American Heart Association (AHA) is working to spread the word that preventive measures and early screening of risk factors can help Americans thwart heart disease before it strikes.

"If we're really going to change this epidemic, it's going to take prevention. People need to know their blood pressure and cholesterol, and they need to be treated effectively," Bonow says.

"Also, people need to be more careful about their diet," he adds. "Our younger population is becoming more obese. And fewer schools are providing physical education."

To underscore the heightened risk facing women, consider these statistics: In 1980, 4 percent more American men died of cardiovascular disease than women. But by 1984, that gap had disappeared.

Today, 15 percent more women than men die of heart disease.

"These diseases claim the lives of more than half a million females every year -- about a death a minute. That's more lives than the next seven causes of death combined," states the American Heart Association.

Part of the problem can be traced to a historical lack of attention on women's health issues. While much research has been done on heart disease in men, it's only in the last decade that researchers have focused studies on women, says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, chief of the Women's Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"I remember in medical school, when instructors referred to heart disease, they would show slides of a middle-aged businessman clutching his chest," says Goldberg, who wrote the book, "Women are Not Small Men: Lifesaving strategies for preventing and healing heart disease in women."

Another point for women to consider is that women and men get heart disease at different points in the lives. For men, it generally shows up in their 40s, but for women it usually doesn't appear until after menopause, around 60. And as the population ages, a growing number of women are being diagnosed with heart disease, Goldberg says.

What's more, men survive heart attacks more often than women. This is partly due to medical improvements in fighting heart attacks, but also because men are generally younger when they are stricken, Bonow says.

And the warning signs for heart attack differ between the sexes. Instead of the characteristic chest pain men get, women often have shortness of breath, exhaustion and discomfort in the lower chest, which can be mistaken for stomach illness. As a result, they frequently don't realize they are having a heart attack, Goldberg says.

"They need to be aware that the earlier they get to the hospital, the more likely we can save them," she says.

To prevent heart disease, women and men must address the three largest risk behaviors -- being overweight, lack of physical activity, and smoking.

Exercise and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and fish are essential. But so is early screening for high cholesterol and blood pressure. The sooner doctors can detect the warning signs of heart disease in a person, the more likely they can prevent it, experts say.

As part of American Heart Month, the AHA is also stressing the value of CPR training, which can save a heart attack victim's life. The group is also pushing an initiative to increase the number of portable defibrillators in public places.

"Heart disease is not just a U.S. issue. It's also an international issue," Bonow says. "You start with public awareness."

More about heart disease among women: American Heart Association.

Information about preventing heart disease: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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