WOMEN'S HEALTH A f f a i r s o f t h e H e a r t Dr Ben Hunt, Cardiologist Cardiovascular disease kills more women than any other disease. So how do you protect against it? With the high incidences of multiple types of cancer in this day and age, it’s astounding to think that coronary heart disease is actually the leading cause of death for Australian women. Also known as ischaemic heart disease, the illness refers to narrowing or blockages in the arteries that supply the heart muscle. These blockages can cause a heart attack or chest discomfort with exercise or high emotion otherwise known as angina. The scary fact is, the symptoms of a heart attack are much less obvious in women than in men. In fact, more than 40 per cent of menwill experience the classic signs of a heart attack such as chest pain or pressure that spreads to the jaw or back. Symptoms in women typically include less obvious signs such as shortness of breath, back or abdominal pain and nausea. There is no one cause for heart disease but there are multiple risk factors that increase your chance of getting it. Some you can’t change, such as age, ethnic background and family history. But there are major risk factors for coronary heart disease that you can change including smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Again, though, some of these risks have absolutely no symptoms. So how do you know if you’re at risk or not? See your GP for regular check ups, and take the time to work through this list to help identify and address the risk factors. Here are the things you can do to help avoid the risks associated with coronary heart disease: 46 Pindara Magazine 2016
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Seven
To see the actual publication please follow the link above