|
Heart disease and stroke are the Number 1 and Number 3 killers of
women. They are two of the many cardiovascular diseases that kill
nearly 500,000 women each year. That's more than the next seven causes
of death combined, including all forms of cancer. Fortunately, you
can do a lot to prevent these killers.
- In the past, many of the major cardiovascular
research studies were conducted on men. Results
of clinical studies under way may help clarify
the gender differences that affect diagnosis
and treatment of women with heart disease.
- Clinicians and patients often attribute chest
pains in women to non-cardiac causes, leading
to misinterpretation of their condition.
- Both women and men may present "classic" chest
pain that grips the chest and spreads to the
shoulders, neck or arms. Women may have
a greater tendency to have atypical chest pain
or to complain of abdominal pain, difficulty
breathing, nausea and unexplained fatigue.
- Women may avoid or delay seeking medical care,
perhaps out of denial or not being aware
of both typical and atypical heart attack symptoms.
Since women tend to have heart attacks later in life than men do,
they often have other diseases (such as arthritis or osteoporosis)
that can mask heart attack symptoms.
|
 |
