Recognizing the Signs of Heart Disease in Women
The signs of heart disease in women is something every woman should familiarize themselves with.
As a woman ages her risk of heart disease or stroke continue to rise, becoming almost on par with their male counterparts around the age of 65.
Additionally, each year over 50,000 more women than men fall victim to stroke, with 6 out of 10 female stroke victims dying.
Put plain and simple when signs of heart disease in women start to show up there is a problem with either the heart pumping enough blood or a problem with blood flow through the arteries.
When the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently it is known as congestive heart failure, when the problem lies within the arteries it is known as coronary artery disease.
If you have a few minutes lets briefly explore some of the symptoms that apply to each one of these potentially serious disorders.
Symptoms of congestive heart failure are fatigue; chest congestion; swelling of the ankles, feet, leg, and belly; shortness of breath while doing activities or resting; unexplained weight fluctuations of 2 pounds or more daily or 5 pounds weekly; chest pain; irregular or racing heart beat; and chest pain.
Symptoms of coronary artery disease are fatigue; shortness of breath whether your sleeping or exerting yourself; forceful, rapid, or irregular heart beat; swelling of the ankles; and a feeling of tightness, pressure, or pain most often seen in the chest.
As you can see many of the signs of heart disease between these two serious conditions overlap.
Additionally, these conditions can both be present at the same time, especially since the heart loses almost half of its pumping capacity by the time a woman reaches the age of 80.
What to do if you start to notice the signs of heart disease in women Certainly the first thing you should do is talk to your doctor about your concerns.
If heart disease is confirmed there are many ways to approach treatment and can range from simple lifestyle modification to surgery.
Medications may be prescribed ranging from a fluid eliminating diuretic to a prescription cholesterol reducing medication, such as a statin.
Early recognition and treatment is one of the most important parts of successfully treating these diseases and could save your life.
As a woman ages her risk of heart disease or stroke continue to rise, becoming almost on par with their male counterparts around the age of 65.
Additionally, each year over 50,000 more women than men fall victim to stroke, with 6 out of 10 female stroke victims dying.
Put plain and simple when signs of heart disease in women start to show up there is a problem with either the heart pumping enough blood or a problem with blood flow through the arteries.
When the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently it is known as congestive heart failure, when the problem lies within the arteries it is known as coronary artery disease.
If you have a few minutes lets briefly explore some of the symptoms that apply to each one of these potentially serious disorders.
Symptoms of congestive heart failure are fatigue; chest congestion; swelling of the ankles, feet, leg, and belly; shortness of breath while doing activities or resting; unexplained weight fluctuations of 2 pounds or more daily or 5 pounds weekly; chest pain; irregular or racing heart beat; and chest pain.
Symptoms of coronary artery disease are fatigue; shortness of breath whether your sleeping or exerting yourself; forceful, rapid, or irregular heart beat; swelling of the ankles; and a feeling of tightness, pressure, or pain most often seen in the chest.
As you can see many of the signs of heart disease between these two serious conditions overlap.
Additionally, these conditions can both be present at the same time, especially since the heart loses almost half of its pumping capacity by the time a woman reaches the age of 80.
What to do if you start to notice the signs of heart disease in women Certainly the first thing you should do is talk to your doctor about your concerns.
If heart disease is confirmed there are many ways to approach treatment and can range from simple lifestyle modification to surgery.
Medications may be prescribed ranging from a fluid eliminating diuretic to a prescription cholesterol reducing medication, such as a statin.
Early recognition and treatment is one of the most important parts of successfully treating these diseases and could save your life.