Feb 07, 2020
Friday, Feb. 7 is Go Red Day and that could only mean one thing! Cheryl Farley, cardiac and pulmonary rehab manager at UHC is joining WDTV for this week's House Call to talk about heart disease in women.
1). That’s interesting because I was reading that many people think that heart disease is for men, and cancer is the real threat for women.The fact is that heart disease is a killer that strikes more women than men, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, heart disease is the cause of one out of every three deaths. That is roughly one death each minute.
2). So is heart disease only for older women?Actually, heart disease affects women of all ages. For younger women, the combination of birth control pills and smoking boosts heart disease risks by 20 percent. While the risks do increase with age, things like overeating and a sedentary lifestyle can cause plaque to accumulate and lead to clogged arteries later in life. Even if you lead a completely healthy lifestyle, being born with an underlying heart condition can be a risk factor.
3). What if you do not have any symptoms?Sixty-four percent of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms. Because these symptoms vary greatly between men and women, they are often misunderstood. For years, we have been conditioned to believe that the telltale sign of a heart attack is extreme chest pain. In reality, women are somewhat more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain. Other symptoms women should look out for are dizziness, feeling lightheaded or fainting, pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen and extreme fatigue.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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