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Heart disease, often a ‘silent killer’ for women by Heather Woolwine Public Relations A woman dies from heart disease every minute of every day—more than 500,000 deaths a year.  Contrary to what many may think, cancer is not the leading cause of death for women, trailing heart disease by more than 200,000 deaths annually. “A woman’s heart tells her when she’s in love or heartbroken, but it may not let her know when it has heart disease,” said MUSC cardiologist Marian Taylor, M.D. “The symptoms of heart disease in women are often different from that of men, and therefore women present much later with heart disease. This means women often suffer more damage to their hearts, and morbidity and mortality tend to be higher.” Symptoms of a heart attack in women may include some of the same symptoms found in men, like chest or shoulder pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or fainting, but oftentimes present as atypical chest pain, abdominal pain, nausea, unexplained fatigue, numbness, or jaw, neck or back pain.  In response to this “silent killer,” the American Heart Association (AHA) launched the Go Red For Women campaign this February in honor of American Heart Month. “Go Red For Women helps you discover unique lifesaving power by learning about heart disease and stroke and taking positive action to reduce your risk of both,” the AHA Web site states. “You can ‘go red’ by learning and living, getting fit and eating healthy, and supporting cardiovascular research and education.” AHA believes that part of the reason heart disease is the number one killer of women may be due to gender difference or disparities in treatment. The organization cites several examples, including most major cardiovascular research studies were conducted on men; clinicians and patients are quick to attribute chest pains in women to non-cardiac causes; women experience different symptoms in addition to “classic” symptoms; women avoid or delay medical treatment because they are ignorant to the risk or symptoms of a heart attack; women tend to have heart attacks later in life and thus symptoms may be masked by other problems; some diagnostic tests and procedures may not be as accurate in women, and more precise testing is more expensive. Taylor offered her complete support of the AHA’s campaign and encouraged women to go to their Web site at http://www.americanheart.org. She also believes in the importance of involving health care professionals in patients’ family histories and risk factors early in life, as opposed to when symptoms begin to appear. “Women over the age of 25 should discuss these things with a primary physician, a gynecologist, etc. so that they may be treated or screened before a problem arises,” she said. Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and lipid profile, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, tobacco use, and family history involving heart disease. “Some studies suggest that women's risks increase after menopause,” Taylor said. “Stress is also important because it leads to poor habits like smoking, overeating, or not exercising. Anyone with any of these risk factors should discuss their heart health with their physician.” In addition to the Go Red campaign, the AHA also presented new prevention guidelines specifically for women, a first in the history of heart disease research and study. The new guidelines urge at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days, quitting smoking, and for high-risk women to receive cholesterol-lowering drugs and take omega-3 and folic acid supplements. Taylor echoed those guidelines and stressed that cardiovascular health molds itself to any lifestyle, no matter how busy. “Exercise is very important, and I tell my patients they can get their 30 minutes in a day all at once, in 10 minute increments throughout the day or even two 15 minute intervals,” she said. “Brisk walking is just as good as an aerobics class and can be done on a lunch hour. Taking the stairs or walking into the bank, Starbucks, etc. instead of going through the drive-through even helps, and finding someone to exercise with will help you stick to it.” Of course, food remains an important aspect of cardiovascular health and eating a well-balanced diet and staying away from foods rich in trans-fat like fried, sautéed, or sweet food will help keep weight down and lipids under control. “Portion control is so important,” Taylor said. “We don’t need everything supersized. A 60-ounce soda can pack a whopping 800 calories, or almost half of an adult’s daily-required calorie intake. With 60 percent of adults in the United States considered overweight and 30 percent considered obese, unless we start watching our diet and exercising, diabetes and heart disease will continue to plague us.”     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.