Heart disease is often thought of as a man’s problem. That’s not true. One in eight women aged 45 to 64 and one in four women over the age of 65 has heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the single largest cause of death for females in the United States.

Each year, about 372,000 women age 65 and older have a heart attack. Beginning at age 45, more women than men have elevated cholesterol. About 21 million women age 60 and older have high blood pressure. Women are more likely than men to die within a few weeks of a heart attack. Their symptoms are often dismissed and undertreated. And women themselves are sometimes to blame for not seeking help sooner.

Part of the problem is that when women have heart attacks, their symptoms may be different or misdiagnosed. Men typically suffer suffocating chest pains, but women’s symptoms may be more subtle and ignored. Symptoms to look for include:

• Heavy perspiration
• Shortness of breath
• Abdominal pain
• Sharp upper body pain
• Chest pain
• Rapid heart rate
• Disrupted sleep

Why Choose UHealth?

A multidisciplinary team of heart health experts. Making sure every aspect of your individual situation is addressed, your team may include a cardiothoracic surgeon, a general cardiologist, interventional cardiologist, experts in cardiac imaging, and a host of other team members, including social workers, nutritionists, physical therapists and any others that may be needed for your case. 

Cardiac screening and rehabilitation. If you have experienced a heart attack, we coordinate your cardiac rehabilitation to return you to a safe level of functioning. If you have undetected risk factors, we can identify those and keep an eye on your progress.