The Heart of the Matter
Cardiac disease is the No.1 killer of women—yet most don’t even know the signs. The time to change that is now.

If your husband was complaining of discomfort in his arm and some shortness of breath, you would likely think “heart attack,” and make a beeline for the nearest hospital. But if you were experiencing similar symptoms—discomfort in the jaw, perhaps, and a general sense of malaise—would you do the same? You should.

Forget everything you think you know about women being less susceptible to cardiac disease and heart attack. The harsh reality is that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, claiming twice as many female lives annually as all cancers combined. “Thankfully the message has gotten out there about breast cancer screenings, but we haven’t had that same success with heart disease,” says attending cardiologist Claire Boccia Liang, MD. “Women hit the emergency room later. We are much more reluctant to go because we’re caring for children and managing other things. We make excuses because we’re caregivers and we’re worried about other people. We have increased mortality because we’re diagnosed later. When there’s a chance to intervene, it doesn’t always happen.”

In diagnosing heart disease before an emergency situation strikes, the first step is to find out to what extent a woman is at risk, explains cardiologist Michael Weinrauch, MD, FACC. Risk factors include family history, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, a sedentary lifestyle, and being overweight or obese. “Any kind of discomfort—not necessarily pain—related to effort or emotional stress should warrant investigation,” he says. “So should a shortness of breath that becomes worse with effort.”

Weinrauch reports that there are now more women and men with cardiac disease at younger ages, a consequence probably related to obesity. To improve cardiac health, consider ramping up your level of physical activity. “Physical fitness lowers cardiac risk, especially among women,” he says. “Even if you’re overweight, the effect is protective. If you’re obese and more physically fit, your risk is lower. The benefit of exercise is independent of its effect on weight.”

Boccia Liang further urges women to be vigilant about receiving routine screenings like stress tests and angiograms. “Ten years post-menopause, women are dropping like flies,” she says. “We should be more like men, getting our act in gear in our mid-forties and fifties. We tend to put ourselves last, but we really should be affording ourselves the time to schedule appointments for screenings.”