Heart attacks: All hearts are NOT created equal

  • Published
  • By Diane Mayer
  • TriWest Healthcare Alliance
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. What fewer people may know is that women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men.

According to the American Heart Association 38 percent of women compared with 25 percent of men will die within one year after a heart attack.

Despite these facts, many women believe heart disease is not a real problem. A study by the AHA revealed 13 percent of American women know heart disease and stroke are their greatest health threats.

Here are some key facts:

· More women than men die of stroke.
· The risk of heart disease and stroke increases with age.
· Diagnosis of heart disease presents a greater challenge in women than in men.

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. However, women are more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and back or jaw pain. Additionally, women tend to delay longer than men in getting help for a possible heart attack.

Many women delay because they don't want to bother or worry others, especially if their symptoms turn out to be a false alarm. When faced with something as serious as a possible heart attack, it is much better to be safe than sorry. Most hospitals have clot-busting medicines and other artery-opening treatments that can stop a heart attack, if given quickly. These treatments work best when given within the first hour after a heart attack starts, making immediate care for a suspected heart attack even more vital.

The best way to survive a heart attack is to prevent having one in the first place. For both men and women, the biggest risk factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history and age. People should take a moment to look at their lifestyle, family history and general health.

For more information, go to www.triwest.com, www.heart.org, or www.nhlbi.nih.gov.