Heart Disease in Women 1

Heart Disease in Women

Tanya Prendergast
Marshall University

Heart Disease in Women 2

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United
States. In 2009, it killed 292, 188 women, thats 1 in every 4 female death
(CDC Women and Heart Disease, 2013). Heart disease is any type of disorder
that affects the heart, it is also known as coronary heart disease. Coronary is
the most common type of heart disease among women. It is a disease in
which plaque builds up on the inner walls of the coronary arteries that carries
oxygen rich blood to the heart. This disease is caused by smoking, high
cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood vessel inflammation.
The signs and symptoms of heart disease is different from person to person.
Some women may not even have any signs or symptoms. Treatment for
heart disease include lifestyle changes, medicine, surgery, and cardiac
rehabilitation (How Does Heart disease Affect Women, 2014).
Although there are some signs and symptoms of heart disease in
women, there are also certain traits, condition and habits that may increase
your risk of getting this disease. These conditions are known as risk factors
(Who Is at Risk for Heart Disease, 2014). Most of the risk factors can be
controlled. For instants smoking, birth control pills, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, diabetes, being overweight, having an unhealthy diet, and
stress. Study as shown that women who take birth control pills and smoke
have a higher risk of getting heart disease. It is unknown if a women take
birth control pills and dont smoke, if she will still get heart disease. There
are risk factors that a woman cant control. These risk factors are age,

menopause, family history, and preeclampsia a condition that develops

during pregnancy. Research suggest that inflammation play a role in causing
coronary heart disease. Inflammation is the bodys response to injury or
infection. If the inner walls of the arteries is damaged it

Heart Disease in Women 3

triggers inflammation and help plaque grow (Who Is at Risk for Heart
Disease, 2014). Inflammation diseases like Lupus may increase risk for heart
disease. Some studies state that women with migraine headache is also at
risk for heart disease.
Although some women do not show symptoms of heart disease, others
experience the most common sign angina. Angina is a dull, heavy to sharp
pain in chest or discomfort. Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, back or abdomen
are also symptoms. These symptoms can occur at any time during sleep or
physical activity. Stroke is also a sign of heart disease. Stroke is a sudden
weakness, numbness of the arm, face, legs and especially those on one side
of the body (.
My interest in this topic started back in 2011, when I lost my
grandmother to heart disease. I later found out that my aunt and cousin also
has this disease. It was then, that I began my health journey. My
grandmother was one of those women that did not show any signs prior to
her stroke. To reduce my chances of getting heart disease I would check my

blood pressure daily, now I check at least twice a week. I get my cholesterol
and triglycerides checked by my doctor. Family history is a risk factor that
cant be controlled, because of that I do my best to not increase my chances
of getting heart disease.
There are no single test to diagnose heart disease, however there are
tests that doctors recommend based on the individuals family history and
medical history. Tests the doctor may recommend is EKG, a painless test
that detects and records the hearts electrical activity. Stress test, blood test,
chest x-ray and coronary angiography are other tests a doctor can
recommend

Heart Disease in Women 4

to test for heart disease. Even if the results of a coronary angiography test is
normal, chest pain or other symptoms can still occur (How is Heart Disease
Diagnose, 2014).
Knowledge about heart disease among women as increase in the past
decade but is still below the desirable level. There is strong evidence an
inverse relationship between physical activity and coronary heart disease
(Heart disease Prevention in Women, 2006). Regular exercise can help
prevent heart disease from occurring. Another way to prevent heart disease
is to adopt a heart healthy diet. A heart healthy diet including fruits and

vegetables. Also included in a heart healthy diet is whole grain, protein, low
fat dairy or fat free, nuts, seeds, seafood, and lean meats (How can heart
disease be prevented, 2014). Despite having a better understanding of heart
disease women are less active for reasons such as lack of time.
There is currently no curative treatment for heart failure, with the
exception of heart transplantation, which for many reasons will be applicable
for a very limited proportion of all patients (Regenerative Medicine for
Treatment of Heart Disease, 2013). However there is a possibility that
treatment for heart disease can be done by replacing lost cardio myocytes
by stem cell transplantation or by boosting endogenous regenerative
mechanisms in the heart (Regenerative Medicine for Treatment of Heart
Disease, 2013). The best

Heart Disease in Women 5

Reference

CDC women and heart fact sheet

http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/docs/fs_women_heart.p
df
Heart Disease Prevention in Women
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hdw/prevention
Perry, C. K., & Bennett, J. A. (2006). Heart disease prevention in women:
Promoting exercise. Journal Of The American Academy Of Nurse
Practitioners, 18(12), 568-573. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2006.00182.x.
Retrieved from EBSCO Host.
How is Heart disease Diagnosed?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hdw/diagnosis
Regenerative medicine for the treatment of heart disease. By: Hansson, E. M.;
Lendahl, U. Journal of Internal Medicine. Mar2013, Vol. 273 Issue 3, p235-245.
11p. 2 Diagrams, 1 Chart. DOI: 10.1111/joim.12033. Retrieved from EBSCO Host.