National Heart Health Month

What is in February?

February is National Heart Health Month. In the United States of America, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers from a heart attack.

For the month of February, our social media accounts will be highlighting educational resources on the subject, but today we are going to talk about a lesser known fact about heart disease.

A lot of research done on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease is from studies done primarily on men. However, for women, heart disease can be more dangerous. It is the leading cause of death in America, but women more often die from heart disease than their male counterparts.

This is for a variety of reasons, but can be partially attributed to the fact that symptoms can present differently in women than men.

What are some symptoms of heart disease?

Some symptoms of heart disease for women include:

Like with men, you may experience chest pain or an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes or will come back after a few minutes.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Some other common symptoms in women include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, palpitations, sleep disturbances, and unexplained fatigue.

Do not wait to ask for help if you experience any of these symptoms. While some heart attacks can be sudden, most begin slowly.

Heart disease is highly preventable. You can help prevent it by adopting some simple lifestyle changes such as walking for 30 minutes a day, eating healthier food, or learning some coping mechanisms for stress.

Remember that, while all of these things can help you prevent heart disease, you should always be in conversation with your physician if you feel something is wrong with your care.

Happy National Heart Health Month!