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WHAT'S NEW
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Heart health Q+A -- risk factors, heart attack symptoms and more
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Get answers from a straight-talking family physician.
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By Dr. Patricia Mark
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What is heart disease?
Heart disease commonly means that the arteries supplying the heart are narrowed by calcified fatty deposits. These deposits prevent blood flow that carries sufficient oxygen to the heart. Without sufficient oxygen, the heart becomes injured and feels painful, producing symptoms of what we call angina. If the heart is chronically short of oxygen, it begins to function poorly, reducing quality of life and causing heart failure. Lack of oxygen can be so profound as to cause heart death and cardiac arrest.
How would I know if I had heart disease? Crushing chest pain with shortness of breath, sweating and dizziness could signal a heart attack. But heart disease can also be a silent, stealthy killer. And it can be difficult for women to detect subtle symptoms of heart disease until it has become severe. Commonly, mild shortness of breath -- puffing when going upstairs or carrying a load of groceries -- is an early indication. Sometimes this feeling of being out of breath is accompanied by a slight sensation of chest pressure or aching in the lower jaw, both of which disappear quickly with a brief period of rest. Other symptoms include unusual fatigue and unexplained dizzy spells.
The difficulty in diagnosing heart disease is that these symptoms could be the result of literally dozens of other causes. But, especially in combination, these symptoms merit a visit to a family physician, who will be able to assess a woman's heart disease risk factors and, if necessary, refer her to a specialist for more in-depth investigations of her coronary arteries.
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