Women Urged to Be Aware of Heart Disease Risks

After a blocked artery almost caused her premature death, heart disease survivor Lorna Morgan is encouraging other women to be aware of their risks and to not ignore symptoms.

The 75-year-old Montego Bay resident, who was diagnosed in November 2023, tells JIS News that she had been having chest pains for some time, which she largely ignored.

“I wasn’t doing anything strenuous; I would be sitting down watching TV or something… and it would just come on, so I would just use my fingers and start to beat on my chest until I forgot about it,” she expresses.

It was a 70 per cent blockage in one of her arteries that had caused her chest pains.

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

Healthy arteries have smooth inner walls and blood flows through them easily.

However, some persons may have a buildup of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries, which reduces the blood flow or, in some instances, blocks it altogether.

Clogged arteries greatly increase the likelihood of a heart attack, stroke, and even death.

Ms. Morgan is glad that she made the decision to seek help for her chest pains before it was too late.

She advises people, particularly women, to avoid fatty foods and to undergo routine cardiac testing even in the absence of symptoms.

“I believe that even before you start to feel any chest pains you should do a heart check-up and also watch your diet. Trust me, I love KFC chicken but I haven’t been able to eat any and I have been staying away from fried foods at home,” she says.

Also known as cardiovascular disease, heart disease relates to an array of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels, including but not limited to coronary artery disease (CAD), vascular heart disease and valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.

Although heart disease tends to be associated with men, more women worldwide die each year from these conditions than men.

This may be due to several factors, including late diagnosis, atypical symptoms, lack of awareness and delays in getting care.

It is, therefore, important that women be aware of their risks and work with their doctors to mitigate those risks through lifestyle modifications and/or medication.

High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet, high stress, and family history are among the main risk factors for heart disease.

For women, there are some gender-specific issues that make them more vulnerable.

These include irregular periods, early menopause, use of birth control pills, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and pregnancy-related complications, such as gestational diabetes.

Consulting Cardiologist, Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Dr. Deron Reid, tells JIS News that Caribbean women are susceptible to heart disease due to a “substantial rate” of obesity.

He highlights the need for increased awareness and early screening to manage the associated risks.

Dr. Reid points out that before menopause, women in general have a lower risk of being affected by coronary heart disease including heart attack or angina (intense chest pains).

However, after menopause, the risks increase.

This may be because estrogen keeps the arteries flexible or the hormone may have beneficial effects on blood lipids by lowering bad cholesterol.

Dr. Reid says that in many cases the mild symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women are ignored leading to delayed diagnosis.

“They (women) may not have the typical retrosternal kind of pressure or pain that goes to the jaw down to the arm. They may just have a sticking or burning type of pain and often, it is attributed to something else other than the heart, hence they are diagnosed quite late,” he points out.

To protect against heart disease, Dr. Reid recommends that women do regular physical activity that engage their cardiac muscles.

“We recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to extensive exercise per week distributed evenly over the week and this could include fast walking, jogging, running, bike riding, even if it’s gardening and some form of aerobic activity,” he advises.

“And, of course, you have to look at your diet where you strive for a balanced diet. Also, pay attention to your cholesterol, and stay away from types of seafood that are high in cholesterol like crab, lobster and shrimp,” he adds.

Heart disease increases the risk of having a stroke due to blockage in the arteries, which prevents the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain.

“So, if you do have blockages in your blood flow… it can also affect you systemically. When the blood vessels that affect the brain are blocked, you can get a stroke, and the same process can happen even in your legs. You can have what is called a peripheral arterial disease, a more systemic disease that not only affects one particular organ of the body,” Dr. Reid highlights.

He adds that it is essential for people to receive regular electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, especially those who have a family history of hereditary diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

“If you have a family history of diabetes and hypertension… and if you are hypertensive, you should do an ECG test to screen for heart diseases every year,” Dr. Reid says.