Understanding risks, symptoms of heart attacks in women
Lori Sepich smoked for years and sometimes skipped taking her blood pressure medicine. But she never thought she鈥檇 have a heart attack.
The possibility 鈥渏ust wasn鈥檛 registering with me,鈥 said the 64-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, who suffered two of them 13 years apart.
She鈥檚 far from alone. More than 60 million women in the U.S. live with cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease as well as stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. And despite the myth that heart attacks mostly strike men, women are vulnerable too.
Overall in the U.S., 1 in 5 women dies of cardiovascular disease each year, 37,000 of them from heart attacks.
Cardiovascular disease is 鈥渢he No. 1 killer of women. It will affect you or someone you know,鈥 said Dr. Sharonne Hayes, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 鈥淜nowing what to do if you have symptoms of a heart attack and taking action if you do, that鈥檚 really important.鈥
Do what you can to prevent heart attacks
There are several ways anyone can reduce their risks.
The American Heart Association has created a list called 鈥淟ife鈥檚 Essential 8鈥: eat better, quit tobacco, get healthy sleep, be more active, control cholesterol, and manage weight, blood sugar and blood pressure.
Dr. Stacey Rosen, association president, advises getting regular checkups to talk about these preventive measures, keep tabs on your health and discuss any family history of heart problems.
Doctors also suggest discussing risk factors that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.
Women are more likely to have autoimmune conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, which cause inflammation that can raise heart disease risk. They鈥檙e also more likely to suffer from depression, which is associated with inflammation and unhealthy behaviors like staying in bed.
Other conditions associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease are a history of high blood pressure or diabetes while pregnant, miscarriages or stillbirth. Hot flashes and night sweats during menopause have also been linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Be aware that heart attacks don鈥檛 happen like they do in the movies
When people think about heart attacks, many envision a middle-aged man suddenly clutching his heart and falling to the ground.
But in reality, Hayes said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not going to probably be one of those Hollywood heart attacks.鈥
Chest pain or discomfort is a usual symptom, but far from the only one.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 different about women is that they are more likely than men to have other symptoms as well,鈥 Rosen said.
Those include back pain, shortness of breath, cold sweats, tiredness, nausea, lightheadedness, an anxious feeling, jaw pain and finger tingling.
Experts aren鈥檛 sure exactly why symptoms differ between men and women, but some research suggests that physiological differences may play a role.
Another difference: Symptoms may come on a bit more subtly for women than men. Hayes hears a common refrain from patients: 鈥淚 got the symptom and it waxed and waned a little bit over time, but I knew something wasn鈥檛 right.鈥
Take immediate action if you suspect a heart attack
鈥淚f you think that there鈥檚 even a chance that you鈥檙e having a heart attack, that鈥檚 when you call 911,鈥 Rosen said, adding that it鈥檚 better to 鈥渆rr on the side of over-concern than err on the side of minimizing something that could be quite serious.鈥
Doctors recommend taking an ambulance to the hospital, which is more equipped to handle emergency situations than urgent care centers or a doctor鈥檚 office.
Any delays in getting the right care could be harmful or even deadly.
鈥淚f you wait too long,鈥 Rosen said, 鈥渢he damage can be more significant.鈥
Don鈥檛 be in denial about heart attack symptoms
When Sepich had her first heart attack, she waited too long. She had largely been in denial about her heart problems since being diagnosed with severe, hereditary high blood pressure at 17.
On Easter Sunday 2005, she woke up to extreme chest pressure, nausea and pain radiating down her arms.
鈥淚 chose to ignore those signs that day because I was absolutely in shock,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was scared.鈥
She attended Mass and a family lunch and went to work the next day. She eventually went to the ER at her doctor鈥檚 urging, where she wound up having six stents placed and spending a week in the hospital.
She acted more quickly when she had her second heart attack, and got another stent placed after her cardiologist found a nearly complete blockage in the heart鈥檚 biggest artery.
Sepich now keeps her blood pressure under control, hasn鈥檛 smoked in more than two decades and exercises almost every day.
She urges other women to be honest with themselves about heart disease.
鈥淚 could justify my actions from denial. I could just be like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 not gonna hurt you,'鈥 Sepich said. 鈥淲ell, it does hurt you. It can kill you.鈥
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