Lawrence Memorial Hospital is a major sponsor of WellCommons.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in America, claiming the lives of one in three women every year. Every woman should try to learn more about this disease and also discuss her personal risk factors and screenings tests with her healthcare provider.

If you’re a woman, you may not believe you’re as vulnerable to a heart attack as men — but you are. Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the leading killer of women over age 25. It kills nearly twice as many women in the United States than all types of cancer, including breast cancer.

Both men and women have heart attacks but more women who have heart attacks die from them. One reason more women than men die from heart attacks is that women are less likely than men to believe they’re having a heart attack, thus they are more likely to delay seeking emergency treatment.

Furthermore, the symptoms of a heart attack may be different. Some women will not have the “typical symptoms” of chest pain radiating down the left arm. Signs of heart attack in women include:

• Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest
• Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Other symptoms, such as a shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you feel heart attack symptoms, do not delay. Remember, minutes matter! Do not wait to call 911.

Are you at risk?

These risk factors may increase your chances of getting heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Alcohol
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity
• Tobacco use

Prevention and risk assessment

Prevention is always the first step in avoiding heart disease. Eating healthy, staying active, being smoke-free, keeping your weight within a healthy range for your height and getting regular check-ups with your healthcare provider are simple ways to lower your risk for heart disease.

To prevent heart disease in women or to identify issues early, Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Cardiovascular Specialists of Lawrence offer Take Heart: Women’s Cardiac Care risk assessments. Take Heart includes three low-cost heart risk assessment packages tailored specifically for women and may include these screening tests and checking these numbers:

• Blood pressure
• Waist circumference
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Fasting lipid profile (aka lipid panel)
• Fasting blood glucose
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone
• Hemoglobin A1c

The assessments also include nutrition and exercise recommendations, education materials, and may include a private consultation with a physician or advanced practice registered nurse. After your assessment, a report is sent to your primary care provider.

For more information on the Take Heart: Women’s Cardiac Care risk assessment call 785-505-3636 or visit lmh.org/takeheart.

Aynsley Anderson, MA, RN, is Community Education Coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, which is a major sponsor of WellCommons. She can be reached at aynsley.anderson@lmh.org.