Heart disease is the most common cause of death among American women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017 approximately 299,578 women in the United States died of heart disease.
What is Heart Disease?
The general term heart disease refers to various types of heart conditions including heart attack, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart defects, and more. The most common type of heart disease among women is coronary heart disease. It is estimated that 1 in every 16 women over the age of 20 years old has coronary heart disease.
What is Coronary Heart Disease?
Coronary heart disease is also commonly referred to as coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD happens when plaque builds up on artery walls. Arteries are blood vessels that deliver blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries, it causes them to become narrow and hard. This makes it harder for the blood to be delivered to the rest of the body. This increases risk of blood clots, heart attack, stroke, and other complications.
Symptoms of Heart Disease
There are various symptoms of heart disease but sometimes there are no symptoms at all. Symptoms may include:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen, or back
- Nausea and / or vomiting
Sometimes there are no symptoms at all until there is an emergency. This is one of the reasons why maintaining a healthy lifestyle and seeing your healthcare provider for regular check-ups is important. It is better to have heart disease diagnosed in its early stages so that you can start treatment and lifestyle modifications.
Preventing Heart Disease
Having a healthy lifestyle and staying on top of your health is the best way to prevent heart disease. Key risk factors of heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Other risk factors include diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet habits, not exercising, high levels of stress, and consuming too much alcohol. If you have any of these risk factors, talk to your healthcare provider about what you can do to help prevent heart disease.
Learn More
If you are concerned about having heart disease, make an appointment to discuss further with your healthcare provider. To learn more, check out the following resources.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Women and Heart Disease
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