It is widely known that heart disease is the #1 cause of death for men, but only about one third of women know that heart disease is also the top killer of women in the U.S. (1 of every 3 women die of heart disease). One reason for this lack of knowledge could be that women show different signs of heart attack than men. Signs such as nausea, dizziness, and anxiety are common symptoms of a heart attack in women. Here are some other signs to watch for:

• Chest pain, which can include back pain and/or deep aching and throbbing in one or both arms.
• Breathlessness and/or inability to catch your breath when waking up.
• Clammy sweating.
• Dizziness, including unexplained lightheadedness and possible blackouts.
• Anxiety, unusual nervousness, feelings of impending doom.
• Edema, fluid retention and swelling usually of the ankles or lower legs.
• Fluttering, rapid heartbeats, palpitations.
• Nausea–gastric upset.
• Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.

While heart disease is the #1 killer in this country, it is also the most preventable. So take a little time to know the signs and make the small life changes you can make that can keep your heart healthy such as exercising regularly, eating right, and cutting out smoking and alcohol as much as possible!

Younger women with high work stress have a greater chance of ischemic heart disease according to a new study from Denmark.

Ischemic heart disease is heart problem where the blood flow is constrained to the heart muscle. Almost 4 million Americans may have ischemic episodes, but do not realize it because they do not experience symptoms.

Researchers in Denmark examined more than 12,000 female nurses aged 45 to 64 at Glostrup University Hospital. The nurses were followed for 15 years, from 1993 to 2008. To assess levels of work stress and other risk factors, the nurses filled out questionnaires. Researchers took into account different variables like physical activity to behavior.

60% of the nurses said work pressure was much too high or a little too high. Then over the course of the study, 560 women suffered from ischemic heart disease. Among these women, 369 cases were angina, 138 cases were heart attacks, and 73 were other cases of heart disease.

The study calculated nurses with too much job pressure had an almost 50% increased risk of ischemic heart disease. However, after taking into account other risk factors the percentage dropped to 35%. On the other hand, nurses with slightly too much work stress had a 25% increased risk for ischemic heart disease.  Lastly, nurses with minor or no work stress had no significant risk increase. The surprising part of the study was that only nurses younger than 51 had a major risk of heart disease.

Of course, other factors may play into this finding. Older nurses may have other more important risk factors. In addition, individuals with ischemic heart disease may have already left the field.

The resting heart rate of a woman is a good indicator of heart attack risk. Even after taking in account of other risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, the resting heart rate still proves to be an accurate predictor of heart risk.

According to WebMD, 129,135 records of postmenopausal women who had no history of heart problems were studied by a team of scientists. Their heart rates were taken at the start of the studied and were followed up for the next 8 years. What the researchers discovered were women with heart rates of 76 beats or above had a much more likely to have an heart attack than women with the lowest heart rates of 62 beat per second.

The correlation was still relevant after factoring in physical activity levels, race, high blood pressure, and even cholesterol abnormalities. Then also amending the study for factors that affect heart rate like smoking, body mass index, and other variables, the relationship held steady. The results were more prevalent in women under 65 years of age.

Despite more complex and expensive methods to assess heart risk, resting heart rate is still a straightforward indicator to predict coronary events (not stroke) in post-menopausal women.

Investing time and energy on a low fat diet may result in the short-term loss of weight, but it also isn’t likely to have much of an effect on your heart health or cholesterol levels. New results from one of the largest women’s health studies ever conducted, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), brought interesting results relating to heart health.

According to an article from the April issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which analyzed results from the WHI, low fat diets will not raise or lower your cholesterol; only people who consumed less harmful fats like trans fat and saturated fat had lower risk of heart disease.

Additionally, statistics show that many people who lose weight on a strict low fat diet regain that weight, and sometimes even more when they stop their diet. Regular healthy consumption of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can go a long way, and helps build a strong foundation for maintaining health later in life.

Click here for other misconceptions about low fat diets.

Pain in your legs can be caused by minor leg problems such as sore muscles. This type of pain commonly occurs during sports or recreational activities, and physical work-related projects. Leg problems can be minor or serious and can include symptoms such as: pain, swelling, cramps, numbness, tingling, weakness, or changes in temperature or color.

Older adults have an increased risk for leg problems because they lose muscle mass as they age. Children can always have leg problems for the same reasons as adults or for other reasons like overactivity or the rapid growth of bone and muscle.

More serious pain in your legs could be a problem with blood vessels, and a sign of a cardiovascular disease. Some of these include peripheral arterial disease, inflammation of a vein (phlebitis), or a blood clot (thrombophlebitis). A blood clot near the surface of the skin may cause only minor problems, while a clot in a deep vein may be more serious.

There are many other problems that cause leg pain, see WebMD’s article on leg pain not caused by injury.

To chat with a doctor about leg pain, sign up for NorthShore HealthSystem’s live chat on February 11, 2010 at 12 Noon (CT).

It’s no secret that men and women’s bodies function differently. Even when it comes to the same illnesses, the difference in sex can affect one’s body in many ways. Heart disease is the leading killer in women, but it is still perceived as something men struggle with more. Read more

Oral contraceptives are an effective way to avoid pregnancy, control irregular periods, or address other health concerns, such as acne. However, birth control pills can also affect your blood pressure by elevating it to sometimes unhealthy levels.
How do oral contraceptives affect blood pressure?
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Women’s World magazine recently published an article on heart attack prevention. The article addresses chronic inflammation as a bigger threat than something like high cholesterol levels.

What can be done to lower chronic inflammation?
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Although high cholesterol is a form of heart disease that people are familiar with, high triglyceride levels can also be harmful. What are triglycerides? WebMD states that “triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. They are a major source of energy and the most common type of fat in your body”. While we need triglycerides in our bodies to function, high levels of the fat can be harmful. “When triglyceride levels are high, it is not clear whether these high levels directly increase your risk for heart disease. But high triglycerides are often part of a group of conditions called metabolic syndrome”.

North Shore Hospitals’ recent women and heart disease live chat, gave insight into some of the keys of high triglycerides. Dr. Eileen A. Kelly Hensing’s expertise helped answer several pressing questions on triglycerides.
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Our last post gave an overview of heart disease and gave a brief synopsis of women’s misconceptions of heart disease. Here a just a few more facts on the number one killer of women. Read more