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Women's Heart Health
VA is committed to empowering women Veterans to live a heart healthy lifestyle. In coordination with the AHA, VA is Going Red for Women in February to highlight the importance of women’s heart health.
By Nancy McCoy, D.Min. BCC, Protestant Clinical Chaplain, Indianapolis VAMC
, February 2, 2014
What is heart disease? Heart disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed due to a buildup of plaque on the arteries’ inner walls. Plaque is the accumulation of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. As plaque continues to buildup in the arteries, blood flow to the heart is reduced. Heart disease can lead to a heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes totally blocked with plaque, preventing vital oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart. A heart attack can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle. Heart disease is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, and rheumatic heart disease.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack? While chest pain,tightness, shortness of breath or pressure around the heart arethe most common early warning signs of a heart attack, several reports indicate women experience a wider range of symptoms.
Because the range is different than men, women often overlook the symptoms and miss the diagnosis of a heart attack. Review of literature has shown that while the majority of women (66% - 75%) had chest pain and discomfort, more women experienced pain in the upper back, jaw, neck, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, loss of appetite, weakness and fatigue. Other common symptoms that may be experienced by women are shortness of breath, sweaty or clammy, feeling sick, faint or collapsing. Women are less likely than men to report to Emergency Department without chest pain, yet still be having a heart attack. Women are far more likely to have silent heart attacks.
Begin now, being more alert, careful and caring of your own heart. Your heart matters and your health matters.
Your Women Veterans Program manager is Judith Kelly, http://www.indianapolis.va.gov/services/women/index.asp Women Veterans may also find very useful information at http://www.womenshealth.va.gov/ For more information, visit: American Heart Association, http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/ and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/about/default.htm.
