Sunway Medical Centre Cardiologist, Dr Yee Kok Meng explains several misconceptions regarding women and heart disease and also the differences between both men and women in term of symptoms and causes.
Do all women of all ethnicities share the same risk?
Heart disease could happen to anyone regardless of any gender, ethnicity or age. Note that different ethnicities will have a different risk profile. The genetic reason varies from race to race but it’s all lead back to the dietary component as well as lifestyle.
Atypical signs for women
Generally, the medical classical symptoms for heart disease are chest pain and jaw pain and are very common especially in men. But for women, sometimes it can be atypical. It might be present in a generalised body pain rather than specific chest pain, or sometimes it’s a shortness of breath. The symptoms may be vague for women. So, it’s slightly different than men and for that reason, women are missed or underdiagnosed due to the atypical symptoms.
Risk factors
Men and women do share some common risk factors but there are specific risk factors that are only common for women. Commonly shared risk factors would be a lifestyle, smoking, diseases such as hypertension, diabetics and cholesterol – those things can cause heart disease regardless of the gender.
Women, in particular, they do have certain risk factors which are different than men. For example, female has estrogen hormone that somehow lessens the possibility to get heart disease. Once they hit the post-menopause period, the estrogen will naturally decline in number and the chances of getting heart disease will be higher.
The risk for men and women are the same
Women don’t do well as men when it comes to heart disease probably because of a) they don’t come early because they don’t think it’s a heart disease b) doctors often underdiagnosed women patients because the symptoms are atypical so treatment gets delayed. Due to those factors, they seek medical help quite late. Symptoms for men present much earlier and easy to detect.
5 Heart Disease Myths You Shouldn’t Believe
- Myth 1: Heart disease is for men and cancer is the real threat for women
Number one killer in the world not only for women but men too is coronary artery disease – heart attack. More women actually died of heart attack than they do for breast cancer. It’s a misconception that breast cancer is the real threat to women where in fact, many women experiencing a heart attack. - Myth 2: Heart disease only for old people
Heart disease can affect anybody. Age itself is a risk factor and that is the reason why as you get older, the chances to get heart disease is higher. For instance, coronary artery blockage or better known as coronary artery disease is different from other heart diseases, such as congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease is something you are born with it and it affects children and baby. Coronary artery disease which is the narrowing of the arter– this process happens as you age. Hence, this heart disease is likely to happen when you get older. Age is one of the risk factors but the incident of heart disease can affect anyone at a young age. In fact, many younger patients are having heart disease these days. In the past, heart attacks were common only to people at the age of 40-50 but now there are people at the age of 30 experiencing heart disease and even people at such young age, which is 20. - Myth 3: Heart disease doesn’t affect women who are fit
Having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t hinder you from heart disease in total. Even an athlete will get a heart disease too. But, when you do exercise it will minimise the risk of a heart problem. - Myth 4: Heart disease is hereditary
There is a genetic component that means some people are at higher risk because of family history. Some people may not have a family history but then it may be caused by lifestyle factors, lack of exercise or stress level – all factors that can contribute to heart disease. So, not everything is heredity. - Myth 5: Aren’t women protected from heart disease due to estrogen?
Estrogen hormone does not give immunity to women. Undeniably, a young lady can get a heart attack at the age of 26 even though the presence of estrogen hormone is high. It is taught that estrogen may act as a protective shield but there are many other risk factors, for example, strong family history, diabetic, high-cholesterol, lifestyle-wise, high-stress level and lack of exercise. Anyone at any age can get heart disease regardless of the estrogen level. Certainly, after you lose the estrogen due to a natural process – menopause, the incidence of heart disease in women will be double or even triple.
Dr. Yee Kok Meng
Cardiologist
Sunway Medical Centre
