Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in European women, ahead of tumors and respiratory diseases. Despite this, heart attacks are still considered a disease more typical of men. We discover the reasons for this gender imbalance.
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases affect both men and women, but statistics show that more women die from cardiovascular diseases. The reasons why women are less likely to survive a heart attack are due to their own physiological traits but also to a deficiency in the healthcare system.
The cardiovascular system of women differs from that of men by responding differently to stress, excess fat and hormones. It is precisely the hormones, or the decrease in them, more specifically, the loss of estrogen during menopause, which places women at high risk for coronary disease.
Obesity also poses a significant risk of death after suffering from cardiovascular disease, as well as diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension and smoking.
To all these risks we must add that the clinical studies carried out on women regarding cardiovascular diseases are scarce compared to those carried out on men. Nor have sufficient prevention and early diagnosis campaigns been proposed in this field, focusing on other diseases such as breast cancer.
Symptoms of cardiovascular problems
It is possible that the symptoms that announce a cardiovascular problem are confused with common disorders, this means that, sometimes, the problem cannot be treated in time.
Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain that may spread to the arms, back, or stomach, a cold sweat, and a feeling of nausea. Other symptoms that indicate that we are facing a cardiovascular disease are loss of sensitivity in some part of the body, loss of vision, difficulty speaking or walking, confusion, etc. As can be seen, these symptoms can also appear in the face of any common disorder, which is why, many times, the patient does not even consider going to the doctor until it is too late.
Prevent heart attack
The chances of suffering a heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris or any other cardiovascular disease increase with age. Although we cannot do anything against the passage of time, there are some healthy habits that we must incorporate into our daily lives to prevent this type of disease.
It is essential to eat a healthy diet by considerably reducing fatty foods both to keep cholesterol levels at bay and to maintain an adequate weight, thus avoiding clogging of the arteries.
Physical activity also helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is important to stay active and do moderate physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
Tobacco is one of the great enemies of our health, and even more so in terms of cardiovascular diseases because its consumption considerably increases the risk of suffering a heart attack.
It is important that the doctor perform regular check-ups if there is a family history of cardiovascular disease in order to prevent a possible problem.
