More young women are prone to heart diseases, we must know why

A survey was done by SRL Diagnostics across India between 2014 to 2016 that considered more than 3.3 million lipid profiles. This survey revealed that, ‘nearly 50 per cent of women in India live with an abnormal cholesterol level, an alarming indicator of the risk of their being prone to cardiovascular diseases (CVD).’ The numbers look dangerous and experts believe that these are expected to rise. In India, cardiovascular diseases are number one killer amongst women. It becomes more dangerous because the symptoms may appear differently in women than in men. These are more fatal in women when she enters post-menopausal phase. Increase in the number of women smokers, consumption of saturated fats and sedentary lifestyle are considered major contributors to deteriorating heart health of women.

Possible reasons for heart diseases amongst women

Experts explain that few symptoms, that appear both in men and women, have more serious impact on a woman’s heart than men. For instance, ill-effects of smoking on a woman’s cardiac health is much more than on men. Smoking is very common amongst young generation today. It damages the walls of the arteries and increase heart attack risk. Similarly, the levels of bad cholesterol are founder higher in women as compared to men. Some hormonal supplements that women are suggested to take post menopause result in higher level of estrogen. It may lead to a risk of a heart disease. It’s important to consult a physician before starting the consumption of such supplements.

A woman’s body go through may changes during her lifespan. These result in hormonal imbalance that adversely impacts the heart health. For woman who’s had recurrent miscarriages, are also at higher risk of heart attack. Unfortunately, women who complain of shortness of breath, jaw pain, pain in arms and palpitations are more likely to be dismissed by doctors as not heart disease. This, however, is immediately taken care of amongst men.

This puts them at a higher risk of dying because of a heart attack or any cardiovascular disease. Experts also believe that an extreme want to adapt to the changing lifestyle may also affect the functioning of the heart. However, it’s important to note that a heart attack is a result of not one, but many factors combined.

Women burden themselves a lot more than they could actually take. They take it onto themselves to run the house efficiently by supporting with logistics as well as finances. This results in higher stress levels. The stress can cause a spike in adrenaline and cortisol hormones which results in higher heart rate and blood pressure. When it combines with sedentary lifestyle, the risk of heart attack increases. A sudden change to diet coupled with less physical exercise may impact the heart health too. However, following fad diets for a quick weight loss may not impact heart health instantly, experts suggest.

Misinterpretation of symptoms among women

To add on to the confusion, the symptoms that women usually show of a cardiac disease differ from men. They may suffer from indigestion and tiredness as compared to chest pain in men. Women report more wider symptoms when their heart health is at risk. They are also most likely to get medical intervention at later stage. It is because their symptoms are not usually associated with heart disease at first. Women are less serious and aggressive about their health. They delay medical intervention when it comes to dealing with and treating early symptoms of cardiovascular diseases.

A research published in the journal Circulation, studied the relationship between symptoms, gender, perception of symptoms, and care-seeking among patients who were of 55 years of age or younger. The analysis showed that ‘Women were more likely than men to report other associated symptoms of heart attack, such as indigestion, shortness of breath, palpitations or pain in the jaw, neck, or arms. They were also more likely to perceive their symptoms as stress or anxiety, and were more likely than men to report that their healthcare providers did not think that their symptoms were heart-related.’

What to do to tackle the situation

Come out and seek help. Talk to a doctor if you have a family history of blood pressure. If you are anxious, have wandering mind or feel sad, speak to your doctor for it may put your heart at risk. Also, it’s important to seek immediate help if you suffer from diabetes and hypertension. With these diseases, you are at higher risk of getting a cardiovascular disease than men.

The rate of obesity is much higher in women than men which puts their heart at risk. Therefore, keep your weight under check. Maintaining weight could help subside the factors leading to any cardiovascular disease. There is a piece of advice here for doctors as well. Experts believe that doctors need to watch women’s symptoms too for heart attack before these worsen.

They have to seek immediate help as soon as they experience any discomfort which could be related to a heart disease. Apart from physical symptoms, take care of stress that comes from any trauma or a life incident. be more aware; and know that it may happen to you as well. It might not be on your radar to focus on your heart health but it’s never too late.

Published : October 7, 2019 12:56 pm

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