WHAT IS HEART DISEASE?
Heart disease is a term given to a variety of conditions that can affect the heart. It is often used interchangeably with the term cardiovascular disease which refers to all diseases of the heart and circulation.
OVERVIEW OF TYPES​
Heart disease comes in many forms: examples of the most common ones being heart attacks, heart failure, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, coronary valve disease, abnormal heart rhythms, cardiomyopathies, inherited or congenital heart disease, coronary microvascular disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease.
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WHAT WOMEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEART DISEASE
Many women are not aware of the risk of developing heart disease as it is often seen as a condition of men. Heart disease is the number one cause of mortality of women in the U.K. It is a little known fact that it kills more than twice the number of women than breast cancer. Women are six times more likely to get heart disease than breast cancer. There are currently over 3.5 million women in the U.K. living with heart disease. Each year around 28,000 women die from it and around 70,000 women attend hospital due to a heart attack. That's over three women every hour. ​
Despite these facts, many women are unaware of the risks of heart disease and the message clearly needs to get out.
Look after your heart !
Medical Conditions that could raise risk of heart disease
People tend to think of heart disease as a condition that only happens in the elderly. However, heart disease can affect women of all ages. Certain medical conditions can increase the risk of heart disease you may not be aware of, for example:
Pregnancy
Preeclampsia and pregnancy-associated hypertension
Gestational Diabetes
Peripartum or Postpartum cardiomyopathy
*More information coming soon!
Menopause
Significant hormonal and physiological changes impact the heart
Age of onset significant
Stiffening or weakening of the blood vessels
*More information coming soon!
Diabetes
More than 2x the chance of getting CVD than people without diabetes and this includes premenopausal women
High BP - link between HBP and insulin resistance
Abnormal cholesterol and triglycerides
Kidney Disease
Research shows that people with early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD stages 1-3) are already at more risk of developing heart disease.
Those at CKD stages 4-5 exhibit a markedly elevated risk. Stage 5, cardiovascular issues are the leading cause of death rather than end stage kidney disease.
Symptoms to look out for in a heart attack
With regards to heart attacks, even though some symptoms can be similar to those in men, there are some symptoms specific to women.
Signs can be subtle and put down to less threatening conditions but the outcomes can be deadly if cardiac related
WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN!
Chest pain or discomfort
Uncomfortable pressure or squeezing in your chest
Unusual fatigue
Shortness of breath
Upper body pain
(not attributed to
particular muscular or joint pain)
Excessive sweating
Abdominal pain or discomfort
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the neck, the back or jaw
Weakness
Shaking
If any of these signs occur for no obvious reason please call 999.
A heart attack is a medical emergency.
KNOW THE SIGNS
RISK FACTORS
It is a common belief that heart and cardiovascular disease is a man's disease. Women are very aware of the risk of breast cancer but are unaware that 90% of adult women already have a risk factor for heart disease.
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Risk factors you can't change
Your age
Your gender​
Ethnicity
Family and medical history
Risk factors you can change
Manage high blood pressure
Manage diabetes
Maintain a healthy weight
Increase physical activity
Stop smoking, vaping, or using other tobacco products
Limit alcohol consumption
Eat healthily
Manage stress levels
Get adequate sleep
DIAGNOSIS
More information coming!
PREVENTION
More information coming!
TREATMENT
More information coming!
HOW WOMEN'S HEARTS ARE DIFFERENT FROM MEN'S
More information coming!
A TO Z: A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
More information coming!