Women and the risks for a heart attack

Every ones believes that heart diseases are usually affecting the males, but the truth is hidden beyond appearances. The risk is increased (when referring to women) by their attitude because generally they tend to ignore the symptoms considering that is unlikely to suffer a heart attack. Usually the symptoms are not typical, and according to the American Heart Association the coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the leading cause of death, and the frequency of heart related deaths is double compared to the effects of cancer. Even if women often outlive men, that is not a general rule and in this case, age could be an important factor. The most common symptom is the chest pain but women tend to associate the sensation with

fatigue, so the suspicion regarding a heart attack is eliminated. When several factors are affecting a person (factors like age, high blood pressure, cholesterol or even smoking) the risk for heart attack is suddenly growing. It is known that a woman who possesses 2 risk factors has a 20% chance of having a heart attack in the next decade. That percent is also increased if several factors are existent. Also if in the case of women who are past the age of menopause a test is recommended in order to reduce both risks and suspicions. News from NEW YORK (Reuters Health) says that “Women with more risk factors for cardiovascular disease tend to enter menopause earlier than women without cardiovascular risk factors” so it is obvious that a causality effect is established between those two elements. The study involved women ranged in age from 34 to 55 at the date of enrolling in the project, and their age at menopause was between 38 and 58 years. If the woman is smoking, in average the menopause will begin 1.6 years earlier and the risk for a heart disease will grow in consequence. Also it is known that women who either gained or lost weight in a short period of time during the pre-menopausal period are having significantly earlier age of onset. The conclusion was that menopause with its decreased estrogen levels that can be detected, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In an interview Dr. Vera Bittner said that "the effect of cardiovascular disease risk factors on menopausal age is at most modest”, but it still exists.
Remember that every symptom should be well analyzed and that generally is better to predict that to cure. Testing might be the best solution if a heart problem is suspected.

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