Heart Attacks: Not Just for Missouri Men

Long considered to a concern for men, statistics released by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show heart disease is also a threat women.

According to information released by the department, more than 40 percent of the women who died in Missouri, lost their lives to heart disease according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women across the country.

"Many people still believe heart attacks happen primarily to men, and women are not at risk, but heart disease is not just a man thing," said Judy Alexiou, program coordinator for the department's Missouri Heart Disease and Stroke Program. "Women must learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack in order to seek medical treatment that can save their lives."

In 2002, 11,800 women died as a result of cardiovascular disease. That accounts for 41.1 percent of the total number of Missouri women who died that year.

For men, the classic symptoms of a heart attack, including chest pains, feelings of fullness or squeezing and pain shooting down the left arm, are well known. However, women should be aware that the signs and symptoms of a heart attack can be much different for them than men. The symptoms women more often experience include:

- a sudden shortness of breath;
- sudden sweating and\or flu-like symptoms (nausea, clamminess or cold sweats);
Statistics compiled by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services also show that women who have heart disease often do not fare as well as men with the disease. For example:
- more women than men (38 percent to 25 percent) will die within one year of a recognized heart attack.
- more women than men (35 percent to 18 percent) heart attack survivors will have another heart attack within six years.
- women are almost twice as likely as men to die after by-pass surgery.
- women are less likely than men to receive certain medical treatments including beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin after a heart attack.
- women represent only 25 percent of participants in heart disease studies.

"The good news is medical professionals are becoming more aware of the risks and symptoms of heart disease in women and are taking steps to better address women's health care needs," Alexiou said.

For more information about women and heart disease, contact the Missouri Heart Disease and Stroke Program at (800) 316-0935 or visit these Web sites: www.dhss.mo.gov/HeartDisease and www.dhss.mo.gov/Stroke , or the American Heart Association's Web site at www.americanheart.org .