Threat of disease

Women’s hearts suffer with age

Chest pain is often suppressed.

(Bild: Syda Productions/stock.adobe.com)

Although the menopause is a natural phase in every woman's life, it is often accompanied by many physical and emotional changes. As part of World Heart Day on September 29, an important health issue comes to the fore: does the risk of heart disease increase?

Oestrogen levels in the body fall around the menopause. However, this hormone has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. It helps to maintain the flexibility of the blood vessels, increases the level of "good" cholesterol (HDL) and has an anti-inflammatory effect. As oestrogen levels decrease, the risk of arterial hardening and increased cholesterol levels increases, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease.

Also the most common cause of death in women
However, this is still neglected! Diseases such as coronary heart disease, cardiac insufficiency or arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation are also the most common cause of hospitalization and premature death in women. The only difference is that these diseases usually occur about ten years later in women than in men due to hormonal protection.

Of course, the same risk factors apply to "her" as to "him": obesity, high blood pressure (which increases more rapidly in older women than in men), diabetes, smoking, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are often even more damaging to the female body than the male. We now know, for example, that the risk of a heart attack is significantly higher in female smokers, (untreated or poorly controlled) diabetics and hypertensive patients than in men with the same risk profile.

Self-care: go to the doctor more often!
Women should know this and react accordingly, for example by going to the doctor more often. This means not neglecting self-care, especially during and after the menopause, and having your body values checked regularly. After this age, doctors are visited less and less often. While most people have to visit the doctor more often due to pregnancy, childbirth and having children, they tend to hardly make these appointments later on.

Other symptoms of a heart attack
Another problem: "Their" symptoms can differ significantly from those of men. They experience complaints such as tiredness, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, pain on the right side and back pain instead of the classic chest pain.

At the same time, women with heart attacks are not at all sure whether they are affected and whether this is an emergency situation. They therefore wait on average around 37 minutes longer than men before seeking medical help and therefore receive life-saving measures much later than their male counterparts. This is another reason why an understanding of the symptoms is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment.