Verified By Dr Tripti Deb June 11, 2023
3342Although Heart Disease is commonly believed to be a disease for men, women are no exception to it. In fact, heart disease is the number one cause of death in Indian women. Besides, the risk of heart disease in Indian women is eight times more compared to that of breast cancer. Therefore, the more a woman comes to know about heart disease, the better chance she has to combat it.
You may hear your doctor use the term, Atherosclerosis, meaning build-up of plaque (fatty deposits) and cholesterol on the inner walls of arteries, which blocks or restricts the flow of blood to the heart. Without enough blood, the heart does not receive oxygen or other nutrients needed to work properly. Such a condition is called ischemia which causes symptoms of heart disease like angioplasty, angina (chest pain). And, when one or more of the arteries gets completely heart blocked, a heart attack can occur.
Heart Disease in women can be different. For instance, heart attack symptoms in women can be different compared to what men experience. While chest pain may not often be a symptom for women but jaw pain can be. Although not prominent, women may experience uncomfortable pressure, discomfort, squeezing, or pain in the chest. It may be for a few minutes or may go away and come back. Sometimes, a heart attack may occur in women without chest pain. Symptoms in women occur more often when they are resting or even when they are asleep. Stress also may be a trigger a heart attack in women.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, it is important to call your doctor, especially when they become severe or more frequent.
Although men and women share several common risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, there are few other factors that play a major role in women developing heart disease.
Apart from the above, women with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis are also at a greater risk of heart disease.
Reducing your risk factors involves making changes in the lifestyle, which includes:
Your doctor will perform a physical examination after talking to you about your symptoms, medical history, and risk factor. Based on your evaluation, your doctor may suggest some diagnostic tests like blood tests, an EKG (echocardiogram), ECG (electrocardiogram), exercise stress test (along with stress echocardiography or nuclear imaging – the heart imaging technology), CTA (coronary CT angiogram) or cardiac catheterization. These tests may provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the health of a woman’s heart. The tests may also help your doctor assess the extent of your heart disease, its effect on the heart’s function and the best approach to your treatment.
You can also avail a complete heart check-up package offered by your local healthcare provider to know the condition of your heart in advance. Other tests used to predict the risk of heart disease are complete lipid profile, lipoprotein, calcium score screening heart scan, C-reactive protein (CRP) among others.
Enroll in our comprehensive healthy health packages to lead a heart-healthy life!
MD, DNB, FACC, FICRF, FESC, Senior Interventional - Cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad