This week's article is dedicated to our dear friend and my husband's colleague, Alicia Navarro, who passed from this world on October 11th after complaining of left shoulder pain and shortness of breath. She was being treated for left shoulder bursitis when, in fact, she was having a heart attack.
Why are women still so misdiagnosed with other issues when heart failure is the number one cause of death in the U.S.? When I was in med school, I was taught that women rarely suffered from heart attacks, but now that women share pretty much all of the same risk factors as men, heart disease kills just as many women as men today. The problem is that many doctors are still thinking like they did 25 years ago and are misdiagnosing many women like our friend Alicia.
What to look out for: h
eart attack symptoms for women
The most common heart attack symptom for women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest, but it's not always severe or even the most prominent symptom; sometimes women may have a heart attack without any chest pain. Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
- Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Pain in one or both arms
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
These symptoms can be more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks in men; for example, women may describe chest pain as pressure or tightness. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart--a condition called small vessel heart disease or coronary microvascular disease.
Women's symptoms may occur more often when they are resting, or even when they're asleep, and mental stress may also trigger heart attack symptoms in women.
Women tend to show up in emergency rooms after heart damage has already occurred because their symptoms are not those usually associated with a heart attack, and because women may downplay their symptoms. If you experience these symptoms or think you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't drive yourself to the emergency room unless you have no other option.
Heart disease risk factors for women
Although several traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease-- such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity -- affect women and men, other factors may play a bigger role in the development of heart disease in women. For example:
- Diabetes. Women with diabetes are at greater risk of heart disease than are men with diabetes.
- Mental stress and depression. Women's hearts are affected by stress and depression more than men's. Depression makes it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow recommended treatment, so talk to your doctor if you're having symptoms of depression.
- Smoking. In women, smoking is a greater risk factor for heart disease than it is in men.
- Inactivity. A lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for heart disease, and some research has found women to be more inactive than men.
- Menopause. Low levels of estrogen and progesterone after menopause pose a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in the smaller blood vessels (coronary microvascular disease).
- Broken heart syndrome. This condition--often brought on by stressful situations that can cause severe, but usually temporary, heart muscle failure--occurs more commonly in women after menopause. This condition may also be called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, apical ballooning syndrome, or stress cardiomyopathy.
- Pregnancy complications. High blood pressure or diabetes during pregnancy can increase a woman's long-term risk of high blood pressure and diabetes and increase the risk of development of heart disease.Some research has found that if you had pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure or diabetes, your children may also have an increased risk of heart disease in the future.
Women with inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may also have a higher risk of heart disease. Research is ongoing into other heart disease risk factors for women.
What can women do to reduce their risk of heart disease?
Women can make several lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of heart disease, including:
- Quit or don't start smoking.
- Exercise regularly--at least 30 minutes every day.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a healthy diet that includes a variety of mainly vegetables and lean meats and fish, small amounts of fruit and whole, unprocessed grains. Add small amounts of essential fatty acids from fish, veggies and nuts/seeds. Avoid saturated or trans fat, added sugars, and high amounts of salt.
If athrosclerosis or plaque buildup in the arteries is the main culprit, then the best solutions are diet, exercise and an IV treatment called Plaquex.
Plaquex is an IV therapy that has been proven to reduce and/or eliminate cholesterol plaque buildup along arterial walls and return the blood vessels to optimal elasticity.
Plaquex is a mixture of essential phospholipids (phosphatidyl choline) made from soybeans. Developed in Europe, it has been used primarily to remove the deposits of fatty plaque in arteries and connective tissue, and is an integral component of memory loss prevention and anti-aging programs.
Plaquex also lowers the level of lipoprotein A, a critical factor in the formation of blood clots during heart attack or stroke. Patients also notice dramatic improvements in cerebral function and a return of sexual potency.
1. The most important effect of Plaquex is its remarkable ability to reduce deposits of Plaque (soft and hard) in the blood vessels.
2. Clinical studies done in the past 50 years show an improved lipid profile, reduction of plaque, improved liver function and improved blood flow.
3. Empirical experience also shows improved mental function, kidney function and younger looking skin.
If you feel you are at risk for heart disease, please, speak to your healthcare provider today. If you would like more information about Plaquex IV therapy, or would like to schedule an appointment with one of our practitioners, just give us a call at 928-445-2900.
Happy Hearts!
Sincerely,
Dr. Susan Godman
