Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors

“If I have just one risk factor for heart disease—say, I’m overweight or I have high blood cholesterol—aren’t I more or less “safe”? Absolutely not. Each risk factor greatly…”.1

Umbrella
What may the Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Cardiovascular Disease (CVD
  • Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
  • Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  • Heart Conditions
  • Heart Disease Risk Factors
  • Heart Disease/s

Heart Disease

What is heart disease?

DotS the definition of heart disease may vary. The (United States) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition is:

“The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (CAD), which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause a heart attack”.2

Risk Factors

What are risk factors?

DotS the definition of risk factors may vary. The (United States) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) definition is:

“Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse”.3

Heart Disease Risk Factors

What are heart disease risk factors we can do something about?

In Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? the NHLBI explain:

“Important risk factors for heart disease are:

  • Having high blood pressure
  • Having high blood cholesterol
  • Unhealthy lifestyle
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Diabetes and prediabetes
  • Smoking
  • Being physically inactive
  • Having a family history of early heart disease
  • Having a history of preeclampsia during pregnancy
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Age (55 or older for women).

Some risk factors, such as age and family history of early heart disease, can’t be changed”.4

Age

For women, when does age become a risk factor for heart disease?

According to the NHLBI above:

  • “Age (55 or older for women)”.5

In Keep Your Heart Healthy: The Basics: Overview – Am I At Risk for Heart Disease? the (United States) Healthfinder.gov note:

“Your age and family history also affect your risk for heart disease. Your risk is higher if:

  • You are a woman over age 55
  • You are a man over age 45
  • Your father or brother had heart disease before age 55
  • Your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65”.6

Family History

Is there an association between family history and heart disease?

Yes. In Family History the British Heart Foundation elaborate on:

“If you have a family history of a heart or circulatory disease you’re at higher risk of developing conditions like coronary heart disease and having a heart attack or stroke”.7

Diabetes

Is there an association between diabetes and heart disease?

Yes. In Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke the (United States) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:

“Having diabetes means that you are more likely to develop heart disease and have a greater chance of a heart attack or a stroke. People with diabetes are also more likely to have certain conditions, or risk factors, that increase the chances of having heart disease or stroke, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol”.8

Menopause

Is there an association between menopause and heart disease?

Yes. The NHLBI explain:

Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors“After menopause, women are more apt to get heart disease, in part because their body’s production of estrogen drops. Women who have gone through early menopause, either naturally or because they have had a hysterectomy, are twice as likely to develop heart disease as women of the same age who have not yet gone through menopause. Another reason for the increasing risk is that middle age is a time when women tend to develop risk factors for heart disease”.9

The (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health note:

“Before menopause, women have a lower risk of heart disease than men, but as women age and their oestrogen levels fall after menopause, their risk of cardiovascular disease increases”.10

Lower Risk

How can women choose to lower their risk of heart disease?

The NHLBI explain:

“Being more physically active and eating a healthy diet are important steps for your heart health. You can make the changes gradually, one at a time. But making them is very important”.11

In Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? the NHLBI also note:

“You may wonder: If I have just one risk factor for heart disease—say, I’m overweight or I have high blood cholesterol—aren’t I more or less “safe”? Absolutely not. Each risk factor greatly increases a woman’s chance of developing heart disease. But having more than one risk factor is especially serious, because risk factors tend to “gang up” and worsen each other’s effects. So, the message is clear: Every woman needs to take her heart disease risk seriously—and take action now to reduce that risk”.12

Health Care Provider

What is it important for women to keep in mind about heart disease risk?

In Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – You and Your Doctor: A Heart Healthy Partnership the NHLBI remind us:

“A crucial step in determining your risk is to see your doctor for a thorough checkup. Your doctor can be an important partner in helping you set and reach goals for heart health. But don’t wait for your doctor to mention heart disease or its risk factors. Many doctors don’t routinely bring up the subject with women patients”.13

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics related to Heart Disease and Women’s Risk Factors?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

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  1. 9 Myths and Misunderstandings About Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT): 4. Misunderstanding – MHT Increases the Risk of Heart Disease
  2. AI for Quitting Tobacco Initiative [+ Video: Meet Florence – She Can Help You Quit Tobacco!]
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  8. Cardiosmart.org
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  13. Coronary Heart Disease
  14. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
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  17. Early Menopause: Experiences and Perspectives of Women and Health Practitioners – Resources and Information: Quick Links – 1. Question Prompt List Early Menopause Question Prompt List
  18. Ethnicity
  19. Exercise To Prevent Heart Disease
  20. Facts About Heart Disease In Women
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  24. For Women: The FDA Gives Tips To Prevent Heart Disease [Food and Drug Administration, United States]
  25. Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women, United States]
  26. Healthy Eating To Protect Your Heart
  27. Healthy Lifestyle
  28. Healthy Living
  29. Heart Disease In African-American Women
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  35. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – Questions To Ask Your Doctor
  36. Heart Diseases – Multiply Languages
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  38. Heart Health Information In Your Language: Smoking and Your Heart Health
  39. Heart Health Information In Your Language: Women and Heart Disease
  40. Heart Health for Women [Multiply Languages]
  41. Heart Health: Are You At Risk for Heart Disease? [Video]
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  45. High Blood Pressure and Women
  46. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
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  54. Know Your Numbers? They Could Just Save Your Life
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  58. Managing Your Weight: Risk of Heart Disease – Case Study Video – Shirley’s Weight Loss Story
  59. Mayo Clinic Minute: 3 Things Women Should Know About Heart Disease [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
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  62. Mayo Clinic Minute: Myth-Busting Heart Health [+ Video]
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  69. Millionhearts.hhs.org
  70. My Family Health Portrait
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  72. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cardiovascular Disease
  73. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease: What You Need To Know
  74. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  75. OfficialGoRed4Women [Videos]
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  77. Preventing Cardiovascular Disease
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  82. Risk Checker – 5 Minute Health Questionnaire
  83. Risk Factors for Women
  84. Sleep
  85. Smokefreewomen [United States]
  86. Smoking
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  88. Stress and Heart Health
  89. The Heart Truth
  90. Video Series-2020 – How To Talk To Your Primary Care Clinician About Your Overall Health
  91. Video Series-2020 – The Role of Vitamins In Women’s Midlife Health
  92. Video Series-2020 – What Women Need To Know About Heart Disease
  93. WISEWOMAN
  94. What Is A Healthy Body Weight?
  95. What Is Meant By the Term Heart Age?
  96. Women and Physical Activity
  97. Women’s Wellness: How Jobs Affect Women’s Heart Health [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  98. Women’s Wellness: Understand Heart Disease Symptoms and Risk Factors Unique To Women
  99. World Heart Day 29 September World Heart Day
  100. Yourethecure.org

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  2. Heart Disease: About Heart Disease. Page Last Reviewed: 20 March 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm Accessed: 17 August 2020
  3. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  4. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  5. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  6. Keep Your Heart Healthy: The Basics: Overview – Am I At Risk for Heart Disease? Content Last Updated on: 22 January 2020. Healthfinder.gov https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/heart-health/keep-your-heart-healthy Accessed: 17 August 2020
  7. Family History. British Heart Foundation https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/risk-factors/family-history Accessed: 17 August 2020
  8. Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke. February 2017. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke Accessed: 17 August 2020
  9. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  10. Health After Menopause: Cardiovascular Disease. Last Updated: 14 January 2020 | Last Reviewed: 17 December 2017. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause/health-after-menopause Accessed: 17 August 2020
  11. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  12. Listen To Your Heart: Learn About Heart Disease – What Are Your Risk Factors for Heart Disease? National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/listen-to-your-heart Accessed: 17 August 2020
  13. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men – You and Your Doctor: A Heart Healthy Partnership. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth/heart-disease-not-just-men Accessed: 17 August 2020

Topic Last Updated: 17 August 2020 – Topic Last Reviewed: 17 August 2020
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