The following are factors that seem to increase the risk of the development of heart diseases in women:
- Diabetes – uncontrolled glucose levels in the bloodstream put women at a higher risk of heart disease than in men.
- Mental health issues – increased emotional and physical stressors and mental health conditions such as depression affect a woman’s heart more than it does that of a man’s.
- Smoking – using tobacco products seems to increase the risk of heart disease in women more than it does in their male counterparts.
- Complications of pregnancy – conditions such as hypertension and diabetes that develop during a pregnancy may lead to these conditions remaining with the affected individual over the long-term. In turn, these chronic conditions can lead to cardiovascular disease if not adequately controlled.
- Physical inactivity – in general, women are less physically active than men and this increases the risk of heart disease.
- Menopause – when the ovaries eventually stop producing the hormone estrogen, the affected woman enters the stage known as menopause. Decreased estrogen levels in the body make one more prone to developing heart-related illnesses due to the increased risk of pathology of the small blood vessels.
- Broken heart syndrome – this condition is associated with the development of heart failure due to one experiencing very stressful situations. This is a temporary change in the structure of the heart and occurs more commonly in women after menopause.
- Autoimmune conditions – women with autoimmunedisorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis may also be more prone to developing heart-related pathologies. This may seem to do with the fact that autoimmune disorders are associated with inflammatory processes that occur in different areas of the body and may affect the blood vessels of the heart.
- Exposure to chemotherapy medications and radiation therapy – medications and radiation treatment to manage conditions such as breast cancer seem to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in women.
How to Manage Reversible Risk Factors
Some risk factors such as one’s age and family history cannot be controlled or changed but the mentioned risk factors for heart disease can be managed with the following suggestions:
- Managing one’s blood pressure by keeping it within a normal range.
- Reducing cholesterol levels to decrease the chance of developing blocked arteries.
- Controlling blood sugar (glucose) levels which decrease the risk of inflammation and damage to the blood vessels.
- Becoming physically active by starting off with 90 minutes of walking every week and then increasing this to two and a half hours per week.
- Eating a heart-healthy diet and reducing one’s calorie intake. This is especially important for those patients who are overweight or obese. Reducing one’s weight has many benefits which include a reduction in blood pressure, reduced blockage of arterial blood vessels, and increased blood flow through the cardiovascular system.
- Stopping smoking helps to decrease exposure of the blood vessels to chemicals and toxins which cause inflammation and damage to these tissues.
- Relaxation exercises and psychotherapy can help reduce anxiety levels and stress triggers in affected women.
You can consider Xpertdox.com which has a comprehensive list of doctors and hospital near you which offer the appropriate and relevant services for the assessment of the cardiovascular system of women to rule out any problems such as hypertension and diabetes which increase the risk of heart disease.
