Women and Heart Disease
What is the number one cause of death in women? Is it breast cancer? Complications from diabetes? Heart disease? You may have guessed by the topic of this blog, it’s heart disease. In fact, women have a greater risk of dying from heart disease, which encompasses heart attacks and strokes, than from?all?cancers combined!
Risk Factors
Some risk factors for heart disease are more risky for females than they are for males. These include high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes.?Menopause is a time of accelerating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.?With the dramatic decline in estrogen that occurs with menopause, there is an increase in the atherogenic types of cholesterol particles and a worsening of blood glucose control. Decreased estrogen level is also associated with an increased amount of visceral fat, the type of fat that is deep in the belly region. This type of adipose tissue (aka fat) is more dangerous than superficial fat depots located near the thighs and buttocks.
Risk Modifiers Specific to Women
While certain risk factors for CVD, such as overweight/obesity, sedentariness, depression, and tobacco use apply to both males and females, there are other conditions which exclusively affect females. These are called risk modifiers. These female-specific conditions include:
In addition, autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. While men can have these conditions too...