LERATO LELIA
In the month of August, the spotlight is put on women and their positive contribution to society. In the midst of women playing different roles in society a lot of strain and stress is also put on their health. Women are increasingly being affected by lifestyle diseases, one of these being heart disease. One in four women will develop a heart condition before the age of sixty.
There is a common misconception that heart disease is typically a male disease. Although women tend to develop heart disease later on in life than men do, heart disease and stroke are the biggest killers amongst women globally. These kill more women than men in South Africa.
“About 225 people will die every day from cardiovascular disease, 130 of them will be women and 41 of these women will die of a stroke. Many more women will suffer from heart attacks that will debilitate them and women are less likely to survive a heart attack than men,” said registered dietitian at the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA), Gabriel Eksteen.
The warning signs for heart attacks in women are less obvious. Approximately 43 percent of women do not experience chest pain as a symptom, as heart attack symptoms can sometimes differ in men and women. “Often women will experience milder symptoms like uncomfortable pressure, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, back pain, unexplained fatigue, dizziness and sweating. These symptoms are often ignored resulting in misdiagnosis and delays in treatment,” added Eksteen.
The longer it takes seeking medical attention the more damage there is to the heart. This leads to women being less likely to recover from a heart attack.
There are five things that women should be doing in order to lower your risk of a heart attack:
– Know your numbers. Get your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked regularly.
– Monitor your weight and keep it in the healthy range.
– If you are a smoker. Stop smoking.
– Be physically active which means exercising 30 minutes five times a week.
– Eat a diet that is low in unhealthy fats, sugars and salt. Keep an eye on your portion sizes.
