Women and Heart Disease : Cardiovascular Disease Prevention & Control : NYC DOHMH
Women and Heart Disease
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Heart disease kills more women than any other disease. Nearly 12,000 women in New York City died of heart disease in 2007.
Top 5 Causes of Death for Women in New York City (2007)
1. Heart Disease
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Source: NYC Bureau of Vital Statistics 2007
Learn about Heart Disease
Protect your heart. There are things we can all do to make our hearts healthier, starting today.
The most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease. Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood around your body, and just like any muscle, it also needs to receive blood to work properly. Coronary heart disease refers to disease (or blockage) in the blood vessels that bring blood to your heart muscle. When there's a blockage in your coronary blood vessels, less blood gets to the heart muscle. Not enough blood flow to the heart can trigger a heart attack.
Learn More About Heart Disease:
National Institutes of Health:
Know the Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack
The signs and symptoms of a heart attack may include:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Other signs include feeling lightheaded, breaking out in a cold sweat, or feeling nauseous.
If you have chest pain or discomfort, especially combined with any of these other symptoms and lasting more than 5 minutes, call 911. If these symptoms last less than 5 minutes and then go away completely, still call your doctor.
A heart attack isn't something you plan for, but you should always have an emergency plan. Here are some simple tips to help you start planning ahead:
- Learn the heart attack warning signs "by heart."
- Talk with family and friends about the warning signs and the need to call 9-1-1 quickly.
- Talk with your health care provider about your risk factors for heart attack and how to reduce them.
- Write out a Heart Attack Survival Plan that has vital medical information and keep it handy.
- Make a plan today to have someone care for your children or other dependents in case of an emergency in the future.
Look for these tips and more in (PDF).
Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease
Heart disease starts early. While heart disease is often not diagnosed until later in life, the clogging of the arteries and damage to the heart can begin very early in life, without any symptoms at all. That's why preventing the development of risk factors through heart healthy behaviors is as important as controlling risk factors once they develop.
What’s a risk factor?
Risk factors are conditions, behaviors or other characteristics that increase our chance of developing heart disease or if we have heart disease already, can make it worse. Most New Yorkers have at least one risk factor. Read on to learn what they are and how to avoid them.
Obesity and Physical Inactivity
The risk of heart disease increases when you are overweight or inactive. In NYC, women are more likely than men to be obese. One in four women in NYC are obese, and the highest rates of obesity are among Blacks and Latinas.
Percentage of NYC women in each race/ethnic that are obese. Source: NYC Community Health Survey 2007.
But don’t worry, we can all improve the health of our hearts by being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a heart-healthy diet – one that is low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, low in salt, and rich in fruits and vegetables and fiber.
Learn More About A Heart-Healthy Diet:
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Other languages:[] - • For tips on healthy eating,
Learn More About Maintaining a Healthy Weight:
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- • To calculate your body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight, .
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Learn More About Staying Physically Active:
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Smoking
Women who smoke are 2 to 4 times more likely to die of a heart attack than women who do not. In NYC, about 1 in 5 women smoke. Quit smoking to reduce your risk of a heart attack.
Learn More About How to Quit:
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High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading and treatable cause of heart disease and stroke. About 1 in 4 women in NYC have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is more common in black women than white women. There are usually no symptoms, so the only way to know is to get checked by your health care provider. If your blood pressure is high, your healthcare provider will work with you to control it – through lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) and sometimes medication.
Percentage of NYC women in each race/ethnic group with high blood pressure. Source: NYC Community Health Survey 2007.
Learn More About High Blood Pressure:
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High Blood Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol - a treatable condition - can result in increased clogging of the blood vessels leading to your heart. This can cause a heart attack. About one third of women in NYC have high cholesterol, and 16% have never even had their cholesterol checked. Blacks and Mexican Americans are less likely to be aware of their high cholesterol and less likely to be treated. Women over 45, in particular, should have their blood cholesterol checked.
Percentage of NYC women in each race/ethnic group with high cholesterol. Source: NYC Community Health Survey 2007.
Learn More About High Cholesterol (and what you can do to prevent and treat it):
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More About Trans Fat:
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Diabetes
If you have diabetes you're at increased risk of developing heart disease. Controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol becomes even more important. In NYC, 11% of Latinas and 11% of Black women have diabetes. Diabetes can be controlled and prevented so talk with your doctor to learn more.
Percentage of NYC women in each race/ethnic group with diabetes. Source: NYC Community Health Survey 2007.
Find out if you are at risk for diabetes:
Learn More About Diabetes:
Increasing Age and Family History of Heart Disease
There are a few risk factors for heart disease that you cannot change.
- As we age, our risk of heart disease increases.
- If you have a family history of heart disease, (that is, if your parents or brothers/sisters have or had heart disease), your personal risk for heart disease may also be higher.
Be aware of this increased risk and focus on the things you can change, like controlling your weight, staying physically active, not smoking and making sure that your blood pressure and cholesterol is kept in check. Do it for yourself, your heart, and the people who care about you. Learn about your overall risk:
Other Important Resources:
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:U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Cunsequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health. DHHS Publication No. (CDC) 89-8411. 1989.
NYC Interactive Health Data System - Community Health Survey 2007. Viewed July 21, 2009.
Hyre AD, Muntner P, Menke A, Raggi P, He J. Trends in ATP-III-defined high blood cholesterol prevalence, awareness, treatment and control among U.S. adults. Ann Epidemiol. 2007 Jul;17(7):548-55. Epub 2007 Mar 28. PMID: 17395483
