Women also have the risk of developing heart disease as men. Many women are unaware of what to do as many symptoms of heart disease are different in women from those in men. If the women know their heart disease symptoms, there will be much less risk of developing complications.
Symptoms
Some heart attack symptoms are the same in both men and women. These include pressure, chest pain or discomfort that comes and goes. However, women often misunderstand chest pain as pressure or tightness. This is because the chest pain is not always severe. According to a heart doctor in Kolkata, there can be a heart attack without any chest pain in some cases. Some other heart attack symptoms in women are:
- Shortness of breath
- Pain in one or more arms
- Discomfort in the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdomen
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Indigestion
- Unusual fatigue
As there is the tendency to attach a crushing chest pain with heart attacks, women often don’t take these symptoms seriously. While asleep or in rest, these symptoms may happen more often in women than men. An important factor that triggers the symptoms of a heart attack in women is emotional stress. It becomes too late when women go for medical help as they don’t recognize the symptoms as those of heart attack. You should consult a cardiologist in Kolkata if you think you are having the symptoms of a heart attack. You should not drive by yourself to the doctor in this situation.
Risk factors
In the development of heart disease in women, many factors play a bigger role than they do in men. Apart from these, some risk factors for heart disease are common in both men and women. The following are some risk factors for heart disease in women:
- Smoking: In comparison to men, smoking leads to a greater risk of developing heart disease in women.
- Diabetes: The risk of developing heart disease is more in women with diabetes comparing to men with diabetes.
- Mental stress and depression: There are adverse effects of stress and depression on the hearts of women.
- Inactivity: As per the opinion of a heart specialist in Kolkata, there is a major risk of heart disease if you don’t have physical activity.
- Pregnancy complications: There can be a risk of heart disease in women due to high blood pressure or diabetes during pregnancy.
- Menopause: The estrogen levels in a woman become low after menopause and this can cause a risk of developing a disease in smaller blood vessels. Heart disease can develop due to this.
- Family history of early heart disease: In comparison to men, this is a greater risk factor for heart disease in women.
- Inflammatory diseases: The risk of heart disease can increase in both men and women due to rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other inflammatory diseases.
