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| Heart problems - archive photo |
Heart attacks are one of the chronic health problems that many people are exposed to, especially the elderly, due to advanced age and various factors. Many people wonder who is more susceptible to heart problems, women or men, and is there an explanation for this?, which is what the “Seventh Day” answers, according to the health website.
A woman's heart is usually smaller, and some of its inner chambers. The walls separating some of these chambers are thinner and while a woman's heart pumps faster than a man's, it pumps out 10% less blood.
When a woman is nervous, her heart rate rises and her heart pumps more blood, and when a man is nervous, the arteries in his heart constrict, which raises his blood pressure and thus women are more likely to have heart problems.
Women have risk factors that men do not
Certain diseases that affect only women such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary disease, diabetes and high blood pressure that occur during pregnancy, and increase the risk of coronary artery disease, which is the main cause of heart attacks Endometriosis has been found to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 400% in women Women under the age of 40 .
Women also share traditional risk factors with men, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol levels, smoking and obesity.
Like men, women can be affected by a family history of heart disease, especially if a father or brother was diagnosed with coronary artery disease before age 55, or a mother or sister was diagnosed before age 65 .
Are heart attack symptoms different in women?
Chest pain during a heart attack is often described by men as heaviness in the chest and some women also have chest pain, but they are likely to have different symptoms for three or four weeks before a heart attack, including "extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, and sweating."
Coronary heart disease in women often affects small arteries, which cannot be seen clearly on angiography This is why any woman who is given a 'clear' signal after an angiogram and still has symptoms should see a cardiologist specialized.
How to protect yourself from a heart attack?
Whether you're a man or a woman, it's never too late to reduce your chance of having a heart attack. Here's what you need to do :
-stop smoking
Do at least regular exercise, walk 30 minutes a day .
Stick to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and little animal products, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods .
Maintain normal weight, blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar levels .