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HealthWatch: How Heart Disease Affects Women

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Feb 5, 2010 7:25 pm US/Eastern

HealthWatch: How Heart Disease Affects Women

CBS 2 Has Tips To Keep Your Heart Healthy In Your 30s, 40s, 50s And Beyond

NEW YORK (CBS) ― You may have noticed how many people were wearing red on Friday to show their commitment to the fight against the number one killer of women – heart disease.

CBS 2 has tips on how you can keep your heart healthy in your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

Some health advice – don't smoke, eat right, exercise – applies to women of any age. But other rules change every time a woman hits a new decade.

"I think that all women are at risk for heart disease no matter how old they are," cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg said. "And the younger you are, the better off you are if you start taking care of your heart."

If you're in your 30s, you should be getting a blood cholesterol test every five years. That will help determine if you're at risk for coronary artery disease.

"Sixty percent have at least one high risk factor for heart disease – it might be elevated cholesterol, or excess weight, or they smoke," Toni Hope, health director at Good Housekeeping, said. "And this triples their odds of having a heart attack within the next 30 years."

At age 40, you should schedule a stress echocardiogram or nuclear imaging stress test to provide key warnings about your heart's health.

As you enter your 50s, make sure you know the subtle, surprising symptoms of a heart attack: unusual fatigue, upper abdomen pain, heaviness in the chest, shortness of breath and nausea.

There's evidence that women 60 and over might lower their heart attack risk by taking cholesterol-lowering statins, even if their cholesterol is normal.

About 77 percent of Americans don't get enough vitamin D, which can raise your heart attack risk. Vitamin D levels can be tested in the blood, and supplements are easy to take – just ask your doctor if you should be tested at your next visit.

For more information on how heart disease impacts women, and to get more information on the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, click here.


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