A woman's heart is anatomically the same as a man's, but it reacts differently to stress, cardiovascular disease or physical exertion. Why? There is actually one reason - hormones. They influence the condition of a woman's heart. What heart diseases are women at risk of?

A dozen or so years agodiseases of the heart and circulatory systemwere omitted in women - they were treated as a typical male problem. This approach lulled the vigilance of the ladies and the doctors themselves. When the statistics were finally analyzed in 2001, it turned out that every second woman dies of coronary heart disease, infarction, stroke (and the resulting complications). In men, cardiovascular disease is the cause of 39 percent. deaths. So women get sick more often, but 10-15 years later, when estrogens stop working.

Estrogens protect against heart disease

Under their influence, nitric oxide is released in the blood vessels and causes them to relax, which inhibits the development of atherosclerosis and the unfavorable remodeling of the vessel walls. Nitric oxide, together with prostacyclin (a hormone produced by the walls of blood vessels), prevents blood clots and dilates the vessels, which in turn lowers blood pressure. It also protects the vessels against inflammation. Estrogens lower glucose levels, counteracting diabetes, but at the same time increase the level of triglycerides. When estrogen levels drop markedly, the condition of the heart and blood vessels can deteriorate rapidly. This also applies to young women who have had their ovaries removed - they have ischemic heart disease and hypertension twice as often as their he althy peers.

Contraception - be careful with the risk of heart disease

Contraception increases blood clotting, which increases the risk of thromboembolism. Many women also have an increase in blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, especially in the first six months of taking the tablets. Therefore, women, even with slight hypertension, should not use them. The pills also interfere with fat metabolism, increasing the concentration of triglycerides in the blood. However, there is no evidence that they increase total cholesterol. It is certain, however, that modern pills do not increase the risk of a heart attack, while in smokers and hypertensive women they increase the risk of a hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. ATyoung women avoiding cigarettes and alcohol such a threat does not exist. Oral contraception is not recommended after a heart attack, stroke or thrombosis. However, if a woman really wants to use it, the doctor chooses the latest generation, i.e. with a lower estrogen content.

Important

  • The heart of a woman is slightly higher and more transverse than that of men, because ladies have a slightly higher diaphragm. It weighs approx. 220 g (male approx. 300 g).
  • The insides of the hearts also differ a bit. The diameter of the atrioventricular openings in women is smaller than in men, as are the openings of the arteries, but the mitral valve is usually slightly thicker. Significant differences in structure are visible when the heart attacks atherosclerosis.
  • The wall of a woman's coronary artery is fleshier, less brittle, and that of a man of the same age - stiff and rough.
  • These differences do not affect a he althy heart. When a woman has atherosclerosis, her vessels and arteries do not make themselves felt for a long time. If they are strained too much, they cause irreparable destruction, which usually ends in death.

    • HRT and heart disease

    Since estrogens protect women from heart disease from puberty to menopause, it seemed that the artificial supplementation of estrogens during the menopause, i.e. diseases of the heart and circulatory system. However, it's not that simple. Estrogens have a positive effect on fat metabolism, reduce cholesterol levels, improve glucose tolerance and prevent blood clots. But they don't lower your triglyceride levels, and they can even increase it. They can also increase the inflammation of the vessel walls - which accelerates the atherosclerotic processes and facilitates the detachment of atherosclerotic plaques, which increases the risk of blood clots and stroke. So, does HRT have more advantages or disadvantages? Research into the effects of HRT is still ongoing, and many questions are not yet fully answered. Sometimes the menopause is so troublesome that hormone intake is the less of a problem. Of course, systematic checkups and rejection of cigarettes are necessary. The therapy should not be used by women with known risk factors for ischemic heart disease, thromboembolism, and gallbladder diseases. If they have had their womb removed, they should only take oestrogens, and women who have not had surgery should take estrogens and progestogens. If a woman has a he althy liver and does not suffer from cholecystolithiasis, the way hormones are administered, e.g. in patches or tablets, is not appropriate.meanings.

    You must do it

    Woman, respect your heart

    • Do not smoke.
    • Reduce cholesterol - go for poultry, skim milk and cheese.
    • Enjoy omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids from fish (fatty sea), olive oil, vegetables, fruits and magnesium-containing foods (whole grains, nuts, apricots, green vegetables and fish).
    • Get rid of excess weight. Every pound you lose means less work for your heart.
    • Eat more often, but in small portions. Remember about breakfast, forget about coffee.
    • Learn to rest. Evenings, weekends, holidays are for you.
    • Exercise but don't go crazy - the heart likes regular but moderate effort.
    • Control your stress. Work reliably, but do not exceed your strength.
    • If you have an infection - stay at home, not at work, because you risk, for example, a chronic disease of the heart muscle.
    • Visit the dentist regularly, but keep your teeth clean. Caries promotes cardiovascular diseases.

    When is the risk of heart disease increasing in women?

    The heart of a woman "gets a head start" from nature only in the childbearing period. Later, the number of cases among women is increasing, and the course of many diseases is more dramatic.

    • Ischemic heart disease, or coronary artery disease - causes death in every second Polish woman in old age. But atherosclerosis develops in younger and younger women. Reason? Obesity, cigarettes, alcohol, stressful work.
    • Angina - is a consequence of heart ischemia. Pain occurs at night, when you rest or under the influence of emotions. The only test that can reveal additional contractions in a woman is Holter, which is a 24/7 ECG.
    • Silent heart ischemia - develops without pain and affects both men and women equally. In men, it is usually the result of an increase in cholesterol, and in women, a decrease in estrogen. The first symptom of the disease is usually a heart attack, which is more severe in women.
    • A heart attack - in women under fifty it is usually more extensive and dangerous than in men. It is also the cause of estrogens. Thanks to them, the blood vessels are more flexible, despite the "fouling" of the atherosclerotic plaque, but therefore later than in the case of men, the so-called collateral circulation (extra blood vessels that bring blood to where it is not supplied by the artery attacked by atherosclerosis). It is worrying that the number of heart attacks is increasing rapidly in younger and younger women. In the first six months after a heart attack, women are more likely to die than men who have had even two heart attacks. 45 percent die in the first year. ladies, gentlemen 10 percent.
    • Cardiological syndrome X - it affects women much more often than men. The ailment is diagnosed between the age of 45 and 50. It manifests itself as coronary pains - they appear often at night, last about 30 minutes and are difficult to relieve. Their existence is not confirmed by changes in the coronary vessels. Only an exercise ECG can detect the problem.
    • Hypertension - for many years it does not cause any symptoms and does not hurt, although it damages the circulatory system, as well as the brain and kidneys. It is especially dangerous for women who have entered menopause. Untreated, it increases the risk of stroke five times, and by 30 percent. the risk of coronary heart disease. It also significantly accelerates atherosclerotic changes. Hypertension in young women is a serious complication of every tenth pregnancy and the most common cause of death of the mother and child.
    Problem

    Symptoms of a heart attack in women

    Women rarely have the so-called the triad of symptoms, i.e. pain behind the breastbone, shortness of breath, and pain and numbness in the left hand. Symptoms of a female heart attack are usually:

    • shoulder pain,
    • pain in the larynx or around the larynx,
    • shortness of breath without chest pain,
    • epigastric pain often associated with belching, nausea or vomiting,
    • general fatigue,
    • uneven heartbeat,
    • cold sweats on the forehead and upper lip.

    Note: Most symptoms usually occur in the morning while still in bed.

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    Category:

    Cardiology