Heart disease was long considered an old man’s problem. But heart disease is also the number one killer of women. And it’s not just older women who are at risk.
45-year-old Cynthia Torres doesn’t look like your typical heart patient. Last summer, she started experiencing strange symptoms she chalked up to anxiety.
“It felt like just a pain that would start slowly rising up and would get into my neck and then my jaw would start hurting,” she explained.
Concern that it might be something serious sent her to the doctor, where testing found an astonishing problem. Her left main heart artery was more than 70% blocked. Two months ago, Torres had to have bypass surgery.
“I was shocked. I was very shocked,” Torres stated. “I knew I was having problems, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”
Cardiologist Dr. Jawad Shaikh of the Nix Heart Center says younger women like Torres often ignore subtle signs of a problem. Many times, women’s symptoms aren’t the classic chest pain.
“Since a lot of symptoms may be very vague, women may attempt to ignore them like fatigue, some shortness of breath,” Shaikh said.
Torres is lucky she listened to her body. Two-thirds of women who have heart attacks never fully recover. Her decision to seek immediate help may have saved her life.
“Certainly with lifestyle modifications, and secondary prevention including good cholesterol control, weight loss, exercise, her prognosis is good,” Shaikh explained.
One in four women dies of heart disease. If you’re having any unexplained symptoms, no matter your age, don’t dismiss them. Talk to your doctor. Early detection of a heart problem could definitely save your life.
