Women and heart disease - British Heart Foundation

Women and heart disease

Reducing your risk

Hina Shah Survivor

CONTENTS

Foreword

02

What is cardiovascular disease?

Coronary heart disease

06

Angina

08

Heart attack

12

Heart failure

17

Stroke

18

How can I reduce my risk?

Risk factors

22

Health checks

26

Smoking

28

Blood pressure

31

Cholesterol

34

Diabetes

36

Weight and body shape

38

Physical activity

40

Family history

42

Age

42

Ethnicity

46

Healthy diet

49

Alcohol

50

Stress

52

The women who appear in this booklet ? whether as case studies, or in photographs ? are all connected to the British Heart Foundation in different ways.

What if I have heart disease?

Medicines

58

Treatments

59

Cardiac rehabilitation

62

Returning to everyday life

65

What else do I need to know?

The contraceptive pill

71

The menopause and HRT

72

A final word

76

Useful organisations

80

Resources from the British Heart Foundation

82

Real women, real stories

Whether you've lived with a heart condition all your life, just been diagnosed, or decided you want to make your heart health a priority, it can be a challenging and sometimes lonely road ahead. In our new Women's Room you can find people just like you to talk to and share experiences with. Here, you can find the answers to difficult questions and solutions to everyday problems.

Visit .uk/women

`Man dies from heart attack.' It's a common enough story in the news. But when was the last time you heard about a woman dying from heart disease? Maybe never ? which must mean that women aren't at risk of heart problems... right?

" If it had been my husband having the pain, not me, I'm sure someone might have thought of a possible heart attack." Karen, age 40

This booklet does not replace the advice your health professionals may give you, but it should help you to understand what they tell you.

Cardiovascular disease kills as many women as it does men ? that's over a quarter of men and women. Cardiovascular disease, or CVD for short, means all the diseases of the heart and circulation, including coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack) and stroke.

Just consider the facts: ? CHD kills nearly 3 times more women than

breast cancer. ? There are over 900,000 women in the UK living

with CHD.

Considering these figures, it's worrying that some women don't realise heart disease could happen to them. This can make them less aware of the risk factors for heart disease, less likely to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack, and slower to call 999 when they have a heart attack ? which can dramatically reduce their chances of survival.

Unfortunately, because women tend to develop heart problems at an older age than men, they can take longer to recover after being admitted to hospital. Women are also less likely to attend a cardiac rehabilitation programme ? which is very important for recovery and long-term health after a heart event.

As a woman, it's vital to know how heart disease can affect you. The good news is, in many cases, it can be prevented. In this booklet we will look at the facts, stats and risk factors for heart disease, and at how you can reduce your risk of suffering from the disease.

02?03 Foreword

Notes.

What is

cardiovascular disease?

04 ? 05

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) means all the diseases of the heart and circulation, including coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack), heart failure and stroke.

Coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) can cause angina or heart attack. CHD begins when your coronary arteries (the arteries that supply your heart muscle with blood and oxygen) become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material within their walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis and the fatty material is called atheroma.

In time, your arteries may become so narrow that they cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. This can cause angina (page 8).

Are you at risk?

There are certain factors that increase your risk of developing CHD. We list them on page 22. If you have one or more of these risk factors, don't despair ? there are many things you can do to reduce your risk (pages 28-52). Even if you don't have any of these risk factors, you can help keep your risk of CHD low by following the same advice.

There are more than 900,000 women in the UK living with coronary heart disease. Over 30,000 women die from it each year.

06?07 Coronary heart disease

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