Heart Disease in Women
Indu Poornima, M.D.

Many women are surprised to learn that heart disease is the biggest threat to their health, even more so than breast cancer.  In fact, we now know that women who have a heart attack or stroke are more likely to die than men.  Unfortunately, many women are not aware of their risks for heart disease, and their symptoms may be different than the classic symptoms that men have.

Some of the symptoms that should be discussed with your doctor include:

• Discomfort or aching that comes and goes.  This may be in the back, abdomen, arm, shoulder, neck, jaw or chest
  
• Feeling much more tired than usual, for no apparent reason.
  
• Experiencing shortness of breath while doing something that used to be routine.
• Heartburn, nausea, or a burning feeling that seems unrelated to eating.

Fortunately, women can help reduce their risk of heart disease with a healthy diet, and regular exercise. 

Taking control of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholestorol are also very important for the prevention of heart disease.

The McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute’s Center for Women’s Heart Health, located in McCandless, provides state of the art multidisciplinary care tailored especially for women.