Women's Heart Attack - Prevention Guidelines

If you are a healthy woman without diabetes, the Reynolds Risk Score is designed to predict your risk of having a future heart attack, stroke, or other major heart disease in the next 10 years. In addition to your age, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and whether you currently smoke, the Reynolds Risk Score uses information from two other risk factors, a blood test called hsCRP (a measure of inflammation) and whether or not either of your parents had a heart attack before they reached age 60 (a measure of genetic risk).

Smoking: Cigarette smoking is the single most important preventable cause of death in women. Women who smoke have a risk of heart attack and stroke two to four times higher than that of non-smokers. The good news is that if you quit, risk comes down dramatically. If you don't smoke, don't start. Secondhand smoke in your home or at work also increases your risk as well as the risk for your children.

High Blood Presure: High blood pressure puts a strain on your heart that over time can weaken its function. High blood pressure causes heart disease, stroke, and can also lead to kidney failure. If you have high blood pressure, your physician will recommend diet, exercise, and where needed, blood pressure lowering medication. You should have your blood pressure checked every two years.

High Cholesterol: Women with high levels of total cholesterol are at increased risk for heart disease, as are women with low levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol levels, your physician will recommend diet, exercise, and where needed, cholesterol lowering medication. You should have your cholesterol checked every 2 to 3 years.

High hsCRP: Women with increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) can have increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, even if cholesterol levels are in the normal range. Increased levels of hsCRP also increse your risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes. If you have increased levels of hsCRP, diet, exercise, and smoking cessation are the most important interventions to consider.

Why are exercise and diet so important? Regular physical activity and maintatining proper weight are essential to reducing your risk of heart disease and improving your quality of life. Studies have repeatedly shown that exercise improves heart-health, both by lowering "bad" cholesterol, hsCRP, and blood pressure, as well as increasing "good" cholesterol. Both regular exercise and weight reduction also lower your risk of developing diabetes. Exercise also fights the aging process and helps to reduce injuries. If you are currently inactive, talk with your physician about starting an exercise program.

Reynolds Risk Score - Predict Heart Attacks and Stroke for Women

If you are a healthy woman without diabetes, the Reynolds Risk Score is designed to predict your risk of having a future heart attack, stroke, or other major heart disease in the next 10 years. To calculate your risk, fill in the information with your most recent values Here: http://www.reynoldsriskscore.org/

Womens Heart Health Resources

The Heart Truth
National Awareness Campaign for Women about Heart Disease
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/index.htm

American Heart Association
Phone Number(s): (800) 242-8721
www.americanheart.org

WomenHeart
Phone Number(s): (202) 728-7199
www.womenheart.org

MedlinePlus: Heart Disease in Women
DHHS. NIH. National Library of Medicine.
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseaseinwomen.html

Women's Heart Attack Symptoms May Appear Up To a Month Before the Attack

New research by The National Institutes of Health suggests that women often experience heart attack symptoms as much as a month prior to having a heart attack.

515 Women where studied.

95% knew their symptoms were new or different a month or more before experiencing their heart attack - Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI).

This NIH study, titled "Women's Early Warning Symptoms of AMI," is one of the first to investigate women's experience with heart attacks, and how this experience differs from men's. Recognition of symptoms that provide an early indication of heart attack, either imminently or in the near future, is critical to forestalling or preventing the disease.

Heart Attack Symptoms Most Commonly Reported by Women

Many women experienced no chest pains at all.

• Chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks - 30%
• No chest pain during any phase of the attack - 43%

Women's major symptoms prior to their heart attack included:

• Unusual fatigue - 70%
• Sleep disturbance - 48%
• Shortness of breath - 42%
• Indigestion - 39%
• Anxiety - 35%

• Shortness of breath - 58%
• Weakness - 55%
• Unusual fatigue - 43%
• Cold sweat - 39%
• Dizziness - 39%

However, most doctors continue to view chest pain as the most important consideration when diagnosing heart attack symptoms in both men and women and men.

In a NIH press release, Jean McSweeney, PhD, RN, Principal Investigator of the study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, said, "Symptoms such as indigestion, sleep disturbances, or weakness in the arms, which many of us experience on a daily basis, were recognized by many women in the study as warning signals for AMI. Because there was considerable variability in the frequency and severity of symptoms," she added, "we need to know at what point these symptoms help us predict a cardiac event."

Women's Heart Attack Symptoms Not as Predictable

According to Patricia A.Grady, PhD, RN, Director of the NINR, "Increasingly, it is evident that women's symptoms are not as predictable as men's. This study offers hope that both women and clinicians will realize the wide range of symptoms that can indicate heart attack. It is important not to miss the earliest possible opportunity to prevent or ease AMI, which is the number one cause of death in both women and men."

Related NIH research into heart attacks in women includes possible ethnic and racial differences.