Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes, kills more women than breast, ovarian, colon and all other cancers combined. And even though more women will die each year from heart disease than men, women have more difficulty obtaining accurate cardiovascular diagnoses and receiving effective therapies promptly.

The image of a man gripping his chest as he falls to his death from a heart attack is emblematic of how a man might experience the symptoms associated with a heart attack. Heart attacks in men typically begin with chest pain under the breastbone, which spreads to the jaw and left arm. Women, on the other hand, may not experience any chest discomfort during a heart attack. Instead, women are more likely to have shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, indigestion or anxiety. Because these nonspecific symptoms mimic so many other conditions, fewer women are referred timely to a cardiologist for a complete work-up.

Physiologically, men and women are different. Although this may seem obvious, heath studies for years have been conducted only in middle-aged men with their results applied to both men and women. Women have smaller blood vessels than men. This may explain why more women experience complications after angioplasty (a procedure to unblock clogged arteries) and coronary bypass surgery. Recent follow-up studies now show that common prescriptions to protect against cardiovascular disease, such as aspirin, and to reduce blood pressure, such as losartan and atenolol, offer more good for men than women. The paradigm is changing and all women and their physicians need to appreciate the gender differences in the presentation, assessment and treatment of heart disease.

Until conventional medicine fully appreciates the gender differences in heart disease, women need to be active participants in their health. Women should, at least, consider their heart when they experience nonspecific heart-disease symptoms, such as anxiety, dizziness and shortness of breath; especially if they do not have a history or tendency towards anxiety.

There is a lot that can be done to both reduce your risk factors and support your heart health. Stay tuned for more articles on this very important topic.

The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. It is not intended as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please see an Akasha physician or another qualified health care provider with questions regarding a medical condition or treatment.