Although women are the most frequent patients in hospitals and doctors’ offices, heart health care is still neglected in this part of society. According to the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC), between 1965 and 1998, they represented only 38% of individuals who went through periodic appointments – the number has not changed until today.
“Unfortunately, when someone of the female gender is admitted to the hospital with complaints of tiredness, trouble sleeping and shortness of breath, it is very common for them to associate it with psychological problems. For every 100 women between 25 and 40 years old, 42 of them do not have chest pain when they have a heart attack and therefore have their diagnoses wrong”, warns cardiologist Salete Nacif, from Hcor, in São Paulo.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of death for women in Brazil, surpassing breast cancer, for example. For every 100,000 inhabitants, 67 die from coronary artery disease (clogged arteries) and 57 from stroke.
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The main risk factors for heart disease are similar to those of men, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity. But, in them, polycystic ovary syndrome, use of hormonal contraceptives, hypertensive disease of pregnancy, adverse pregnancy events, menopausal hormone therapy, aggregated risks of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and depressive disorders are also considered a risk.
anxiety and stress
The emotional overload of the double shift at work and at home makes women the majority of patients with anxiety. According to the document Positioning on Cardiovascular Health in Women, by the SBC, they are more susceptible to anxiety-depressive disorders, which increases twice the risk of Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD).
Symptoms of an anxiety crisis are similar to those of a heart attack: tachycardia, sweating, tremors, shortness of breath, feeling faint, nausea and tingling. However, unlike the heart problem, the anxiety crisis tends to improve over the minutes, as the patient calms down and regains emotional control. In the heart problem, the picture gets worse.
The most common heart attack symptoms in women
A heart attack does not follow rules, and each patient may experience different symptoms, but in general, the signs of a heart attack are different in men and women. Although chest pain radiating to the left arm is common among them, it is not the main symptom for them, for example.
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Some of the main symptoms among women are pain in the left side of the chest, pain in the stomach region, nausea, tiredness, weakness, indigestion and intense malaise. After menopause, the risk of a heart attack increases by 30% due to the drop in estrogen production, a hormone that stimulates the dilation of blood vessels and acts as a protector of the heart.
The main way to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, with regular physical exercise and a balanced diet, avoiding smoking and controlling blood pressure. They should also have regular check-ups to detect possible problems.
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The post Women’s heart health is neglected and confused with anxiety first appeared on Metropolis.
