VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Katarzyna Wieczorek-Szukała, MD, PhD, medical biotechnologist, Medical University of Lodz

It turns out that cardiovascular diseases can pose a greater threat to women, especially those over 50 (in the postmenopausal period), than to men. What symptoms could indicate cardiac problems? Can women develop specific, unusual ailments?

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Poland. Every year, more than 175,000 people die from heart failure, strokes or heart attacks - which accounts for almost 50% of all deaths in the country. Cardiovascular complaints may affect women rather than men in most cases, and their early symptoms may be unusual.

The most popular cardiovascular diseases

Diseases of the cardiovascular system - also called diseases of the cardiovascular system - concern its most important elements, including the heart, arteries and veins. The most popular diseases of this type include:

  • hypertension,
  • atherosclerosis,
  • myocardial infarction,
  • heart failure,
  • stroke,
  • heart rhythm disturbances (including atrial fibrillation or tachycardia),
  • coronary artery disease (otherwise: ischemic heart disease).

Nowadays, cardiovascular failure, due to the huge number of diseases around the world, is considered a civilization disease.

How to prevent cardiovascular disease?

This state of affairs is largely influenced by a sedentary lifestyle, stimulants and an inadequate, highly processed diet.

Cardiologists estimate that up to 80% of the above-mentioned diseases could be avoided with appropriate modification of risk factors, e.g.

  • weight reduction,
  • controlling blood pressure,
  • quit smoking,
  • start physical activity,
  • lowering cholesterol through diet.

Unfortunately, we do not have an influence on all factors, and one of the most important risk factors for heart disease is age.

Menopause and the risk of cardiovascular disease

Many people mistakenly believe that they have a heart condition andof the vascular system are characteristic of older men. It turns out that by the age of 50, women are actually less susceptible to this type of disease thanks to the protective effect of the female hormone estrogen produced by the ovaries.

Unfortunately, during the menopause, when estrogen levels decline, a number of changes occur in women's bodies, which significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Lowering the level of estrogens causes, for example :

  • increasing the fraction of LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad cholesterol") and triglycerides and reducing the fraction of HDL cholesterol (the so-called "good cholesterol"),
  • imbalance between the production of vasodilators and contractions, favoring their excessive contraction,
  • disturbance of the balance of clotting factors and thrombus breakdown (which increases the risk of blood clots forming, which may in turn lead to a heart attack).

Some scientific algorithms predict that each year of a woman's age in adulthood without signs of menopause reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 2%. So it can be said that a pre-existing menopause (and therefore a common problem in developed societies) may increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases in the future.

Statistics show that significantly older women suffer from hypertension or atherosclerotic lesions much more often. This problem may affect up to 80% of Polish women over 75! It is usually a disease that has lasted for years, the symptoms of which are often underestimated.

Unfortunately, uncontrolled hypertension systematically causes enormous damage to the body's tissues. Its immediate complications can be a heart attack or failure, or even a stroke.

Symptoms of cardiovascular diseases in women

Many symptoms of heart disease are very similar in men and women. However, due to the specificity of the endocrine system and changes related to menopause, some of them in women may be more frequent or more severe.

In the case of high blood pressure, the classic symptoms - seen in both women and men - include a feeling of tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat (pounding), shortness of breath and rapid fatigue.

In women, however, there may be less specific symptoms of hypertension:

  • occasional, persistent headaches,
  • irritability and nervousness,
  • sleep disorders,
  • nose bleeds.

Another serious disease of the circulatory system is ischemic heart disease (called coronary artery disease). Its main causethere is atherosclerosis, i.e. a state when cholesterol deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries gradually narrow their diameter.

The result is insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle and its less efficient work. The symptoms associated with coronary artery disease are usually:

  • shortness of breath,
  • palpitations,
  • pressure behind the breastbone,
  • excessive sweating
  • and fatigue that occurs even with little physical exertion.

In women suffering from coronary heart disease, there may also be additional ailments:

  • nausea and epigastric pain,
  • chronic weakness,
  • dizziness,
  • anxiety attacks.

Also in the case of such a serious condition as a heart attack, unusual and uncharacteristic symptoms occurring in women may lead to a situation where the correct diagnosis is made too late.

Ailments that may herald the arrival of a heart attack (usually well known to everyone) are not only sudden, painful pressure and increasing stinging sensation in the chest. Particular attention should also be paid to:

  • persistent pains in the chest area that radiate to the arms, abdomen, back, neck and even the jaw area,
  • persistent feeling of breathlessness and pressure behind the breastbone,
  • severe vomiting combined with shortness of breath and an attack of anxiety.

Many women, in the whirlwind of their daily duties, ignore the growing, overwhelming fatigue associated with one or more of the above symptoms. Sometimes a heart attack can also take the form of the so-called silent infarction, which is more common in people with several comorbidities, incl. obesity and diabetes.

It must not be forgotten that one of the complications of long-term diabetes is neuropathy - damage to the peripheral nerves, which reduces the patient's perception of pain. These patients may find chest tightness and shortness of breath less alarming.

In some cases, the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women are less typical and milder than in men. They can also be confusingly similar to the symptoms accompanying menopause and the accompanying fluctuations in the level of hormones in the body.

Therefore, the above ailments should be consulted with a specialist as soon as possible - even the patient's life may depend on a quick diagnosis. After the age of 50, it is worth taking care of regular diagnostic tests and, above all, prophylaxis.

How to reduce the risk of heart disease in women?

It is worth remembering that for a change in lifestyle and implementationgood habits are never late. Remember that physical activity does not have to be very intense. At the beginning, regular but regular walks, and in some cases light jogging, are more than enough.

The issue of he althy eating is similar. Many people associate the word "diet" with an extremely rigorous approach to consumed meals. In fact, it's often enough to cut back on sweets, junk food, and other processed foods, and increase your intake of vegetables and fruits to see an improvement in your he alth and well-being after a few months.

A change in diet is also seen quite quickly in some blood test parameters - e.g. lowering triglycerides or total cholesterol.

Why is it so important? It turns out that many civilization diseases that are at an early stage, such as diabetes or hypertension, can be treated by changing everyday habits, not with pharmacological agents. Although it may seem less comfortable, in practice natural prophylaxis is much less burdensome than the concentrated active substances found in drugs.

Before choosing a clinical route of treatment, it is worth asking yourself whether at least some of the symptoms that cause discomfort or disease can not be eliminated using simple methods available every day. Of course, even the best intentions will not replace a professional medical consultation, but they can significantly increase the comfort of life.

Category:

Cardiology