Reader's Digest - 9 Physical and Emotional Ways Heart Disease is Different for Women

Question 1

1st Point

Answer 1

Heart attack symptoms can be more subtle. Although men and women can experience chest pressure, women can experience a heart attack without chest pressure (so there isn’t an exact symptom that denotes heart attacks for women)

Question 2

2nd Point

Answer 2

Women may have a different type of heart disease. There’s a difference in plague and blockage patterns between men and women.

Question 3

3rd Point

Answer 3

Female heart attack patients take longer to get to the hospital. This is possibly b/c they may not understand their personal risk of heart disease and that they are having a heart attack/need medical help

Question 4

4th Point

Answer 4

Everyday stress can affect women’s hearts more. Blood platelet clumping, which can lead to a heart attack, was also more prevalent in stressed women than in stressed men

Question 5

5th Point

Answer 5

Women need to take sleep apnea seriously. The sleep disorder may negatively affect the heart rates of women more than those of men.

Question 6

6th Point

Answer 6

A baby’s birth date can provide a clue about women’s heart health. Women who deliver their baby before 37 weeks may have a greater likelihood of heart disease. These women may be prone to inflammation, which is linked to preterm delivery and common among heart disease patients

Question 7

7th Point

Answer 7

So can the timing of menopause. Women who enter menopause early may have double the risk for a heart attack or stroke

Question 8

8th Point

Answer 8

Doctors may be less likely to discuss women’s heart risks. Women were 16% less likely to report discussing risk reduction with a healthcare provider

Question 9

9th Point

Answer 9

Implanted defibrillators may not work as well in women. Female heart disease patients who get an ICD are likelier than men to have complications and an increased risk of death.

Question 10

Menopause

Answer 10

When menstrual periods stop for 12+ months

Question 11

Sleep Apnea

Answer 11

Sleep apnea is a potentilly serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.

Question 12

Spontaneous preterm delivery

Answer 12

Birth that takes place before the 37th week of pregnancy.

Question 13

Implanted defibrillators

Answer 13

Detects and stops irregular heart beats

Question 14

Ischemic heart disease

Answer 14

Indicates a lack of blood flow and oxygen to the heart.