Do you, like many women, believe that heart disease is more of a concern for men? |
Most women would not think of heart disease as their biggest health threat. Yet, key findings in a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that only 1 in 4 women correctly identified heart disease as the main cause of death for Australian women.
While heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia for both men and women, there are surprising differences in the heart disease statistics between the two.
Men are more likely to die at a younger age from heart disease, but from the age of 65 a woman’s chance of dying from heart disease is greater than a man’s.
Interestingly, in Australia the number of heart failure deaths is 1.7 times higher in women than in men. This may be because women are generally older than men when symptoms develop.
Bonus heart health years
Women develop heart disease later in life than men. On average women gain about 10 – 15 years and hormones seem to play a protective role in women before menopause. Effectively, this gives women a 10 year gift of time to make positive changes in their lifestyles that men simply don’t have.
Risk of developing heart disease increases with age, so women become more at risk after menopause.
Early menopause, natural or surgical, may double a woman’s risk for heart disease. While younger women may be at a lower risk, risk increases if they smoke, have a family history of heart disease at a young age or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and especially if they have diabetes.
Explaining cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a disease of either the heart or major blood vessels (arteries) supplying the heart, brain or other parts of the body. Each year more than 26,000 women are likely to die from cardiovascular disease, with heart attack and stroke being the major causes.
In 2002, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, CVD claimed the lives of more than 1 in 3 Australians. 
Explaining coronary heart disease
From early in life fatty, cholesterol deposits (plaques) gradually build up in the walls of arteries. This process is exacerbated by many other risk factors for coronary heart disease. Over time it eventually causes narrowing of the blood vessels causing reduced blood flow to the heart muscle and other vital organs including the brain. These cholesterol plaques can rupture at any time and all of a sudden cause overlying blood clots to form. The acute formation of a blood clot on a cholesterol plaque can cause blockage of an artery leading to chest pain (angina), heart attacks and stroke.
What is a stroke?
Stroke is a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain causing damage to surrounding brain tissue.
A stroke can sometimes be preceded by a severe headache, dizziness and confused speech, but can occur without warning. The symptoms of a stroke depend on which area of the brain has been affected. Weakness or paralysis down one side of the body, loss of speech, loss of swallowing reflex and sometimes unconsciousness may occur. Hospital treatment is required immediately.
What is a heart attack?
When an artery to the heart muscle becomes completely blocked, an area of heart muscle is starved of oxygen and that part of the muscle is damaged as a consequence.
Women may also commonly experience chest pain or discomfort, but are more likely than men to have other warning signs, particularly shortness of breath, fatigue, insomnia, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, back or jaw pain, or feeling anxious.
You can make a difference
Did you know that 90% of cardiovascular disease is due to lifestyle factors? The good news is that these risk factors are largely reversible.
You can make a huge difference to your heart health by changes in nutrition, activity levels and lifestyle.
It’s never too late to take steps against heart disease. By taking action, older women and those with heart disease, can reduce their risk of developing heart related problems.
Warning signs
Women may experience slightly different warning signs than men.
Typical warning signs include:
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Chest discomfort or uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the centre of the chest that lasts longer than a few minutes, or comes and goes
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Spreading pain in one or both arms, back, jaw or stomach
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Cold sweats and nausea
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Prompt medical review with these types of symptoms is critical.
Because these symptoms are non-specific and have many other possible causes, both a woman and her health professional may not immediately think the symptoms are heart related.
If a woman has some of these symptoms she may require further tests. It is important to discuss the context of these symptoms with your health professional, as they may or may not indicate a medical condition. |
Heart facts
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Each year almost 12,500 women in Australia die from heart disease.
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Three out of four women aged 18 years and over have at least one major risk factor for developing heart disease that they can do something about.
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One in ten women have three or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
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For a 40 year old woman the risk of having heart disease at some time in their future life is one in three.
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In Australia the number of women who die from heart failure is one and a half times higher than the number of men.
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If a close relative had coronary heart disease before the age of 65 you are four times more likely to develop it prematurely.
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Coronary heart disease develops over time and can start as early as the teenage years. Unless treated it continues to worsen until symptoms develop in later life.
Risk factors
| Cigarette smoking |
Physical inactivity |
| High blood pressure |
High blood cholesterol |
| Being overweight |
Diabetes |
| Ageing |
Family history |
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Risk factors do not cause symptoms and unless regular checks for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes occur, they are often undetected. Formulation of an individual screening and prevention plan should be discussed with your doctor. |
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With the exception of ageing and family history, these risk factors have a 90% chance of being improved with a change of lifestyle.
The more risk factors you have the greater the risk. Importantly, smoking, diabetes and some blood cholesterol patterns are even more potent risk factors for heart disease in women than they are in men.
High blood pressure is common in Australian women, especially after menopause. Over the age of 65, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men.
Women often have lower blood cholesterol levels than men for much of their lives, but tend to catch up in their sixties. This is thought to be partly due to the reduction of hormone activity after menopause.
Women are less likely to seek a check on risk factors of established cardiovascular disease.
Whatever your age, you can take action to protect your heart health. So, start taking steps to improve your heart health now. Discuss risk factors with your health professional and actively seek out screening where appropriate.
The link between smoking and heart disease
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of heart disease in women.
Smoking causes more than 50% of heart disease in women at midlife. Nicotine suppresses the secretion of oestrogen, which contributes to earlier menopause. Smoking, combined with the contraceptive pill, increases the risk even further.
Did you know?
Just one year after quitting smoking your risk of heart attack falls to half that of a smoker. |
Tips to reduce your risk of heart disease
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Quit smoking
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Maintain normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels – have regular check ups
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Maintain a healthy weight
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Incorporate physical activity for 30 minutes, most days of the week
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Keep fat intake to a low proportion of your daily calories
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Eat more than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and eat fish at least once a week
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Talk to your doctor about low-dose aspirin therapy if you are in a high-risk category
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Try to reduce stress with exercise and relaxation techniques
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Resources
The National Heartline provides information on leading a healthy lifestyle, heart surgery and life after a heart attack.
Call tollfree on 1300 36 27 87 or log on to their website  www.heartfoundation.com.au
About Cholesterol
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced naturally by the body and is found in our blood. It is essential for the function of every cell in the human body but is a problem when there’s too much of it in the blood. About two thirds of the cholesterol in our blood is made by the liver. Much of it also comes from foods, especially those high in saturated fats.
What is high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol?
Cholesterol appears in the blood in different forms. LDL cholesterol is known as ‘bad’ cholesterol as it tends to clog blood vessels. When a blood cholesterol reading is high it is usually because LDL levels are high. HDL cholesterol is sometimes called ‘good’ cholesterol and can actually help unclog the arteries. High HDL levels can be a good sign as long as the LDL levels aren’t high as well.
What are triglycerides?
When we eat fats in food they form triglycerides that are absorbed into the blood and either burned for energy or deposited into the body’s fat stores. High levels of triglycerides often go together with low levels of good (HDL) cholesterol or high levels of bad (LDL) cholesterols.
Why is high cholesterol a problem?
A certain amount of cholesterol is necessary for the normal functioning of your body, but too much of it is dangerous, especially for your heart.
A slow build up of cholesterol in the inner linings of the heart’s arteries is one of the main underlying causes of heart disease. Bad cholesterol can build up in arteries, narrowing them and making it harder for blood to flow through the arteries. Narrow arteries can become clogged, stopping the flow of blood completely. Clogged arteries may result in a lack of oxygen to the heart (a heart attack) or the brain (a stroke).
Why is cholesterol important?
High blood cholesterol is one of the three main risk factors for Australia’s greatest health problem, heart disease. The other two risk factors are cigarette smoking and high blood pressure.
Do cholesterol and triglyceride levels vary?
Yes. Cholesterol levels tend to rise and fall from week to week. Two or three blood cholesterol readings may be needed to give you an idea of your true level. Triglycerides go up and down after each meal.
Does menopause affect my cholesterol?
Yes. Blood cholesterol tends to rise after menopause. Women on hormone therapy may find that their blood cholesterol drops.
What foods mainly contain high levels of cholesterol?
Food that is high in saturated fat.
How can I reduce my cholesterol?
Reducing your cholesterol to a target level can help reduce your risk of heart disease. Lowering bad cholesterol can stop, and in some people, even reverse the damage already done
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Eat a healthy diet
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Maintain a healthy weight
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Take part in physical activity most days of the week
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Stop smoking
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Keep your blood pressure at a normal level
Source: Heart Foundation
Call the National Heartline 1300 36 27 87 if you would like a copy of any of the following resources.
Free in small quantities:
Get the Good Eating Habit
Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Heart Disease
Enjoy Healthy Eating: A guide to keeping your blood cholesterol in check
The Weight Loss Checklist
School lunch box ideas
Costs apply to:
Healthy Eating for the Heart $3.30 (plus postage)
Healthy Weight Guide $3.30 (plus postage)
The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine is designed to be informative and educational. It is not intended that The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your health professional. The Jean Hailes Foundation does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of information or advice) which is provided in this magazine or incorporated into it by reference. Information is provided on the basis that all persons reading the magazine undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.
© The Jean Hailes Foundation. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under copyright legislation, no part may be reproduced or reused for any commercial purposes.
Note: This article is an archive. Whilst the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health has made every effort to ensure this information was accurate at the time of publication, the article content has not been updated since the date listed below.
Content November 01, 2004
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