Ladies, it’s time for a heart-to-heart

The Mayo Clinic estimates that, in the United States, 250,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest each year, 52 percent of them women. And only 5 percent survive.

In other words, of the approximately 130,000 American women who suffer cardiac arrest annually, only 6,500 of them will make it. And these figures don’t begin to cover the number of women who will be diagnosed with heart disease before the critical cardiac arrest. Unequivocally, heart disease is the number-one killer of women.

But if you turn on the TV, scan newspaper advertisements, even pull up to the gas pump, you’re probably seeing pink ribbons — not red hearts. As a result of all the publicity, many women mistakenly believe that breast cancer poses a greater threat to their well-being than heart disease.

The truth is, while women need to take precautions against breast cancer, nearly twice as many U.S. women die each year from heart disease than from all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer. While 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer during the course of her life, 1 in 2 women will have heart disease, and 30 percent to 40 percent of them will die from it, according to Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, medical director of the women’s health program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. One of the nation’s leading experts on women and heart disease, Bairey Merz spoke recently at Community Hospital’s Women’s Forum for Health.

Why, then, aren’t women following their hearts?

“It may be because heart disease tends to affect men at an earlier age, so there’s a greater awareness of that,” says Monterey cardiologist Dr. Thomas Kehl. “Women live longer than men, which may mitigate their fears. There are many things women can do to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. But despite a growing awareness of the risk, women remain underdiagnosed and undertreated.”

Women seem reluctant to take cardiovascular disease seriously, not only because they tend to prioritize the needs and concerns of their families over their own, but because the symptoms of heart disease in women are diverse, often subtle, and less likely to be associated with the heart.

“Heart disease can manifest in a lot of ways,” Kehl explains. “A minority of women, about 30 percent to 40 percent, have some type of chest discomfort that allows for detection of heart disease.”

A large majority of women have symptoms different from those experienced by men, symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, or nausea that are not perceived as heart-related. She — or her physician — may not immediately think of them as related to her heart.

Women are equally likely to ignore the risk factors and warning signs associated with stroke, an event where the blood flow to the brain is restricted or cut off, potentially causing brain damage or even death. According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), stroke is the third-leading cause of death among women in the United States and claims more than twice as many lives as breast cancer.

Stroke kills 160,000 Americans annually and is the primary cause of disability in this country, resulting in impaired speech, memory, and movement, according to the ASA. Today, more than 2 million American women are living with the effects of stroke, and 31 percent of them need assistance caring for themselves.

And yet, once again, women tend to ignore the potential threat of stroke over cancer, remaining unaware or unconcerned about the symptoms that could rob them of their independence or their lives.

When it comes down to it, we don’t have time for such disregard. When a stroke hits, for example, many people are unable to diagnose the event. Consequently, they delay going to a hospital. A 1998 study by the American Heart Association on 272 stroke patients determined that the average delay among women was 13 hours. By then, the potential for lasting brain damage is significant. After a public awareness campaign, the figure dropped to 5 hours. (See story on women and stroke)

Perhaps most important is for women to understand the incidence and urgency of heart disease and stroke, and to accept that all women are at risk. This may be the first step toward taking responsibility for their health by making the lifestyle choices that will reduce risk.

Take It to Heart - Women’s symptoms of heart disease and stroke

It’s not that you don’t care about heart disease, it’s that you may not be entirely sure what it is. You know it affects the heart, but what you might not understand is that the symptoms for women don’t always start with chest pain. Which is different than it is for men.

A heart attack is an injury to the heart muscle caused by insufficient blood supply. The attack may result in sudden cardiac arrest, which occurs when the heart starts to quiver or stops beating altogether. Sudden cardiac arrest may result from a drug overdose, from an accident such as electrical shock or near drowning, or from existing heart disease.

Perhaps the best way for you to lessen the effects of heart disease or recognize the onset of a heart attack is to know the symptoms most common among women. You may be familiar with signs of heart attack such as chest pain, shortness of breath, pain in the arm, and tightness in the chest. But you might not be aware of the less well-known symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, and dizziness, or symptoms of stroke.

Symptoms of heart attack in women — The familiar and the not-so-familiar

♥ Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
♥ Indigestion or nausea
♥ Unexplained fatigue
♥ Lack of energy
♥ Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, shortness of breath, fainting, sweating
♥ Pain or numbing of arm or hand, particularly on the left side
♥ Pain or discomfort in shoulders, neck, jaw

— American Heart Association

“There is so much variability among women’s symptoms of cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Thomas Kehl, a Monterey cardiologist, “that any discomfort should at least be screened to make sure it’s not a heart-related symptom.”

Symptoms of stroke in women

Since studies show that brain damage can begin with the onset of stroke, it’s essential to get help immediately if you think you might be having a stroke. Recognizing a woman’s atypical symptoms of stroke and how they differ from most men’s symptoms can help you respond more quickly.

♥ Weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body
♥ Dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye
♥ Difficulty speaking
♥ Trouble understanding speech
♥ Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness, or disorientation
♥ Pain or numbing of arm or hand, particularly on the left side
♥ Sudden unexplained falls or trouble walking

— American Stroke Association