keeping the beat,
Cardiologist urges women to pay attention to the heart
It’s not just a man’s disease anymore. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 killer in women and accounts for one in every three female deaths in the U.S. More than 8 million women are living with heart disease. Since the 1980s, the number of women who die from cardiovascular disease has exceeded that of males.
Gray Wagnon, an advanced practice nurse with the Conway Heart Clinic, said women’s risk factors increase as they age.
“For women, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases after menopause,” Wagnon said. “This is because of a reduced level of estrogen. African-American and Hispanic/Latino women have increased risk because they tend to have more risk factors than white women.”
The key risk factors, largely the same in both men and women, include high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and smoking. Other risk factors are diabetes, being overweight or obese, poor diet, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol use.
Preventing the disease
Taking steps to minimize the risks of heart disease can never begin too early, especially if there is a family history of heart disease.
“If either parent has cardiovascular disease, especially if diagnosed before age 50, women should start talking to their health care providers at an early adult age about how to reduce their risk factors,” Wagnon said. “Specifically, women who smoke or have diabetes or a family history of heart disease should begin talking to their health care providers around age 20 about how to minimize their risk factors. Otherwise, women can wait until age 45.”
Wagnon said women have some heart-attack symptoms that are similar to men’s but with a few differences.
“Chest pain is the classic male symptom,” Wagnon said. Women may also have chest pain but often have more subtle symptoms.”
Wagnon said those include pain or discomfort in the chest, left arm or back, as well as an unusually rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea or fatigue, plus extreme weakness or sweating.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms requires immediate medical attention.
“If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to call your health care provider, especially if these are new symptoms or if they have become more frequent or severe.,” Wagnon said.
Wagnon said some ambulance services now have ECG monitoring equipment that enables emergency medical technicians to send ECG readings directly to the emergency department and cardiac catheterization laboratory, increasing the response times for administering treatment.
Reducing risks means changing behaviors
“While it is not easy,” Wagnon said, “quit smoking.”
Annual checkups with a family doctor and regular exercise of up to six times per week can help immensely in decreasing heart-disease risk.
“This is your own free stress test,” Wagnon said. “Regular physical activity and maintaining a normal weight also reduce the risks of non-insulin-dependent diabetes, also called Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes appears to be an even stronger contributing risk factor for heart disease in women than in men.”
If someone does begin to experience symptoms of a heart attack, immediate medical attention is critical.
“It is generally known that treating a heart attack within 90 minutes greatly increases the patient’s ability to survive,” Wagnon said.
Heart-healthy numbers
Wagnon said that when monitoring heart health, there are some important numbers to strive for:
Blood pressure less than 140/85
High blood pressure, defined as at or above 140/85, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Between 120/80 and
140/85 is considered pre-hypertension, which research suggests is more harmful than was previously believed.
HDL cholesterol greater than 50 mg/ dL (women) or 40 mg/dL (men)
HDL cholesterol is the “good” cholesterol that protects the body from heart disease by helping remove cholesterol from the blood. High HDL levels protect the heart.
LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol that contributes to heart disease by clogging the arteries. Although some charts indicate up to 160 mg/dL is acceptable for people with little risk of heart disease, optimal levels are below 100 mg/dL, regardless of individual risk. People at very high risk of heart disease, including those with active disease, should aim for an even lower number, 70 mg/dL.
Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL
Heart-healthy total cholesterol is below 200 mg/dL.
Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL
Triglycerides are another type of fat. Your body makes them when it digests sugars. Risks increase above 150 mg/dL.
Sodium
Intake should be less than 2,000 mg daily.
Fasting glucose less than 100 mg/dL
Diabetes greatly increases your risk for coronary heart disease. Do your best to avoid developing diabetes, and if you do, keep it under control, including aiming for fasting glucose levels under 100 mg/dL.
Hemoglobin A1c (Hg A1c) less than 7 percent
Hemoglobin A1c levels measure longterm control of blood-sugar levels and are an even better indicator of heart-disease risk than fasting glucose levels. Currently, 7 percent is the accepted safe upper limit.
Body-mass index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2
Body-mass index provides a useful gauge for determining a heart-healthy weight. Keep your BMI just below 25.
Waist circumference 35 inches or less (women) or 40 inches or less (men)
Studies suggest that people with larger waists are more likely to develop heart disease.