Heart disease is the Number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. While the symptoms of heart disease can be very different in women and men, the more a woman knows about heart disease, the better her chances of beating it.
Laura Mosher, MD discusses how exercise and a healthy life style can lower your risk of heart disease. Learn more about BayCare’s heart and vascular services.
Women and Heart Disease
Featured Speaker:
Laura Mosher, MD
Dr. Laura Mosher is board certified in interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular diseases and adult echocardiography. She has participated in numerous peer groups and written articles on cardiovascular disease. Dr. Mosher’s clinical interests include cardiovascular disease prevention, chronic angina and women’s cardiovascular health. She is a member of the American Heart Association and has served on its board of directors. Transcription:
Women and Heart Disease
Melanie Cole (Host): Heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. The more a woman knows about heart disease, the better her chances of beating it. My guest today is Dr. Laura Mosher. She’s board-certified in interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular diseases, and adult echocardiography at BayCare Health. Dr. Mosher, how prevalent is cardiovascular disease in women? Please speak about the global impact, the societal impact of heart disease in women today.
Laura Mosher, MD (Guest): Heart disease is quite prevalent in women and what we know now is that it’s not simply a man’s disease. We want out women to be aware that it’s going to affect one out of three women and it still is, as you mentioned, the number one killer of women. So, it is becoming – fortunately people are becoming more aware of it, but it is quite prevalent, and it is a real issue that we need to address and work on preventing.
Host: As there are so many forms that heart disease can take; what are some heart disease diagnoses that are unique to women?
Dr. Mosher: That’s a good question. There are several disease entities affecting the cardiovascular system that we see more commonly in women than we do in men. So, for instance, spontaneous coronary artery dissection is way more common in women. There’s also another disease process called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy that is more common in women. As well as other less life-threatening but still important disease processes called small vessel disease or endothelial dysfunction, that we tend to treat women for more commonly than men. There are other aspects of women’s care that we also are concerned with specifically, chest pain with no obstructive coronary artery disease tends to be a more common diagnosis in women as well which is very important to treat, and those women tend to do less well despite the fact that they don’t seem to have obstructive disease when we take them to the heart catheterization lab.
Host: Dr. Mosher, as many of the studies and as you said at the beginning, most of those studies had been done on men so we know a lot more about heart disease in women today. We hear about signs and symptoms of heart attack that would be different in women and men, but what about heart disease? Are there some things that we would notice? Symptoms? Women don’t always tend to take care of themselves before they take care of their loved ones. And it’s so important that we recognize impending disease so that we can get ourselves to the doctor to get treatment.
Dr. Mosher: That’s exactly correct. I think a lot of us women are in the role of caretakers and we tend not to address our own health issues even if we do have some warning signs or symptoms. So, I think it is very important that we need to be aware of symptoms that are occurring and seek help for ourselves. The symptoms that I feel women should be aware of that may be more on the atypical side but can represent cardiac issues, would be something like jaw pain, neck pain. I’ve had women present with heart disease and it only manifested as a jaw pain or tooth pain such that they even went to the dentist first, not knowing that this was a sign of a coronary blockage.
Women can also get less pronounced chest pain symptoms or chest tightness or discomfort. Still, the number one sign of coronary artery disease in both men and women is chest pain; but women can have less pronounced symptoms. They can even have a general feeling of unwell or feel more tired than normal, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, symptoms like that, that may not necessarily be accompanied with chest discomfort, that are important things to pay attention to.
Host: Some of those symptoms that you have mentioned, mimic stress, anxiety. What’s a woman to do to notice the difference and is stress a contributor to as we say, women are – we are doing so many things, Dr. Mosher. How do we know that some of that chest pain isn’t just anxiety? Too many women brush it off.
Dr. Mosher: That’s true and we see this a lot and I feel that women have a very strong mind-body connection. So, you’re right, a lot of times, when we are stressed, and feeling anxious; it can manifest itself as physical symptoms. That’s very common. But really, the only way to know for sure is to see your doctor and get checked out. That’s the only way to know 100% if it’s a heart symptom or if it’s not. I usually advise my women or any patient for that matter, that if there is any concern or a new symptom that is unexplained; err on the side of caution and go get checked out.
Host: What are some tests you might run? That’s a question that so many women have. Well, what are they going to do? Is it a treadmill stress test? What are they going to do to determine if a woman is either at the beginnings or has some sort of atherosclerotic heart disease or whatever kind of situation she might be having?
Dr. Mosher: Right, so there are so many diagnostic testing options that we have. This could range from as you mentioned, a treadmill stress test to a nuclear stress test to a heart catheterization. We also have CT scans available to us as well, a coronary CT scan. A very simple test that the doctor will likely start with is basically an EKG which is a rhythm strip and shows the electrical conduction of the heart. Blood work or a sonogram of the heart called an echocardiogram may also be ordered. Most of these tests are noninvasive and very low risk but can give us a lot of information about the state of what’s going on with the heart.
Host: We didn’t really talk about risk factors, but as there are so many, high blood pressure, and diabetes and obesity; all of these risk factors, Dr. Mosher, how important is it if a woman does know that she has high blood pressure or diabetes that they take care of whatever situation, condition that they have and mind their medications and adhere to the prescription their doctor has given them?
Dr. Mosher: From a doctor’s perspective; it’s very important. But really, we see this, we see uncontrolled risk factors as you mentioned, blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, all of these contribute to developing cardiovascular disease. It’s very important especially if you don’t have a cardiovascular disease diagnosis, to control the risk factors that you can so that you don’t develop cardiovascular disease. Following the doctor’s instructions and the medications is critical to preventing the disease process.
Host: What are some other prevention tips as far as diet or exercise, stress reduction? What would you like us to know about preventing heart disease in the first place?
Dr. Mosher: So, I think the first step to prevention is know what your risk factors are. The traditional risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, a family history of coronary artery disease. So, with your doctor, you can be screened for all of those things and have that dialog and then sort of determine what is your risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
And then the next step is to work with your doctor as a team in controlling all of those things that are within your control. Stopping smoking, getting diabetes under control, getting cholesterol under control, making sure the blood pressure is well-controlled.
In terms of diet and exercise, the current recommendations for exercise include 30 minutes a day, five days a week if possible, of a cardiac exercise. This does not have to be going for a run or some intense training. Even going out for a walk can be very helpful. And it can be split up in small segments. You don’t have to do the thirty minutes all at the same time.
In terms of diet, this is a sort of a moving target because there’s a lot of data out there to suggest what the right diet is and a lot of people ask me, well what diet should I be on. The best evidence that we have so far, for positive cardiovascular benefits seems to be around the Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet.
Host: That’s great information. As you wrap up, give us your best advice, Dr. Mosher, for women and heart disease and I’ll say it again, as we have to put our own masks on before we put the masks of our loved ones on. We have to take care of ourselves and recognize these symptoms. What would you like us to know?
Dr. Mosher: I think the biggest takeaway message that I could offer would be don’t ignore any symptoms that are concerning. Anything that feels new, different, has you concerned, doesn’t seem like a normal symptom, doesn’t seem like something usual for you; go get checked out. Don’t blow off any symptoms that may be concerning.
Host: That’s great information. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your expertise as a woman and as a cardiologist. It’s important for women to hear this really great information that you’ve given us today. To learn more about BayCare’s Heart and Vascular Services, please visit BayCareHeart.org that’s BayCareHeart.org. You’re listening to BayCare HealthChat. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Women and Heart Disease
Melanie Cole (Host): Heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. The more a woman knows about heart disease, the better her chances of beating it. My guest today is Dr. Laura Mosher. She’s board-certified in interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular diseases, and adult echocardiography at BayCare Health. Dr. Mosher, how prevalent is cardiovascular disease in women? Please speak about the global impact, the societal impact of heart disease in women today.
Laura Mosher, MD (Guest): Heart disease is quite prevalent in women and what we know now is that it’s not simply a man’s disease. We want out women to be aware that it’s going to affect one out of three women and it still is, as you mentioned, the number one killer of women. So, it is becoming – fortunately people are becoming more aware of it, but it is quite prevalent, and it is a real issue that we need to address and work on preventing.
Host: As there are so many forms that heart disease can take; what are some heart disease diagnoses that are unique to women?
Dr. Mosher: That’s a good question. There are several disease entities affecting the cardiovascular system that we see more commonly in women than we do in men. So, for instance, spontaneous coronary artery dissection is way more common in women. There’s also another disease process called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy that is more common in women. As well as other less life-threatening but still important disease processes called small vessel disease or endothelial dysfunction, that we tend to treat women for more commonly than men. There are other aspects of women’s care that we also are concerned with specifically, chest pain with no obstructive coronary artery disease tends to be a more common diagnosis in women as well which is very important to treat, and those women tend to do less well despite the fact that they don’t seem to have obstructive disease when we take them to the heart catheterization lab.
Host: Dr. Mosher, as many of the studies and as you said at the beginning, most of those studies had been done on men so we know a lot more about heart disease in women today. We hear about signs and symptoms of heart attack that would be different in women and men, but what about heart disease? Are there some things that we would notice? Symptoms? Women don’t always tend to take care of themselves before they take care of their loved ones. And it’s so important that we recognize impending disease so that we can get ourselves to the doctor to get treatment.
Dr. Mosher: That’s exactly correct. I think a lot of us women are in the role of caretakers and we tend not to address our own health issues even if we do have some warning signs or symptoms. So, I think it is very important that we need to be aware of symptoms that are occurring and seek help for ourselves. The symptoms that I feel women should be aware of that may be more on the atypical side but can represent cardiac issues, would be something like jaw pain, neck pain. I’ve had women present with heart disease and it only manifested as a jaw pain or tooth pain such that they even went to the dentist first, not knowing that this was a sign of a coronary blockage.
Women can also get less pronounced chest pain symptoms or chest tightness or discomfort. Still, the number one sign of coronary artery disease in both men and women is chest pain; but women can have less pronounced symptoms. They can even have a general feeling of unwell or feel more tired than normal, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, symptoms like that, that may not necessarily be accompanied with chest discomfort, that are important things to pay attention to.
Host: Some of those symptoms that you have mentioned, mimic stress, anxiety. What’s a woman to do to notice the difference and is stress a contributor to as we say, women are – we are doing so many things, Dr. Mosher. How do we know that some of that chest pain isn’t just anxiety? Too many women brush it off.
Dr. Mosher: That’s true and we see this a lot and I feel that women have a very strong mind-body connection. So, you’re right, a lot of times, when we are stressed, and feeling anxious; it can manifest itself as physical symptoms. That’s very common. But really, the only way to know for sure is to see your doctor and get checked out. That’s the only way to know 100% if it’s a heart symptom or if it’s not. I usually advise my women or any patient for that matter, that if there is any concern or a new symptom that is unexplained; err on the side of caution and go get checked out.
Host: What are some tests you might run? That’s a question that so many women have. Well, what are they going to do? Is it a treadmill stress test? What are they going to do to determine if a woman is either at the beginnings or has some sort of atherosclerotic heart disease or whatever kind of situation she might be having?
Dr. Mosher: Right, so there are so many diagnostic testing options that we have. This could range from as you mentioned, a treadmill stress test to a nuclear stress test to a heart catheterization. We also have CT scans available to us as well, a coronary CT scan. A very simple test that the doctor will likely start with is basically an EKG which is a rhythm strip and shows the electrical conduction of the heart. Blood work or a sonogram of the heart called an echocardiogram may also be ordered. Most of these tests are noninvasive and very low risk but can give us a lot of information about the state of what’s going on with the heart.
Host: We didn’t really talk about risk factors, but as there are so many, high blood pressure, and diabetes and obesity; all of these risk factors, Dr. Mosher, how important is it if a woman does know that she has high blood pressure or diabetes that they take care of whatever situation, condition that they have and mind their medications and adhere to the prescription their doctor has given them?
Dr. Mosher: From a doctor’s perspective; it’s very important. But really, we see this, we see uncontrolled risk factors as you mentioned, blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, all of these contribute to developing cardiovascular disease. It’s very important especially if you don’t have a cardiovascular disease diagnosis, to control the risk factors that you can so that you don’t develop cardiovascular disease. Following the doctor’s instructions and the medications is critical to preventing the disease process.
Host: What are some other prevention tips as far as diet or exercise, stress reduction? What would you like us to know about preventing heart disease in the first place?
Dr. Mosher: So, I think the first step to prevention is know what your risk factors are. The traditional risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, a family history of coronary artery disease. So, with your doctor, you can be screened for all of those things and have that dialog and then sort of determine what is your risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
And then the next step is to work with your doctor as a team in controlling all of those things that are within your control. Stopping smoking, getting diabetes under control, getting cholesterol under control, making sure the blood pressure is well-controlled.
In terms of diet and exercise, the current recommendations for exercise include 30 minutes a day, five days a week if possible, of a cardiac exercise. This does not have to be going for a run or some intense training. Even going out for a walk can be very helpful. And it can be split up in small segments. You don’t have to do the thirty minutes all at the same time.
In terms of diet, this is a sort of a moving target because there’s a lot of data out there to suggest what the right diet is and a lot of people ask me, well what diet should I be on. The best evidence that we have so far, for positive cardiovascular benefits seems to be around the Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet.
Host: That’s great information. As you wrap up, give us your best advice, Dr. Mosher, for women and heart disease and I’ll say it again, as we have to put our own masks on before we put the masks of our loved ones on. We have to take care of ourselves and recognize these symptoms. What would you like us to know?
Dr. Mosher: I think the biggest takeaway message that I could offer would be don’t ignore any symptoms that are concerning. Anything that feels new, different, has you concerned, doesn’t seem like a normal symptom, doesn’t seem like something usual for you; go get checked out. Don’t blow off any symptoms that may be concerning.
Host: That’s great information. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your expertise as a woman and as a cardiologist. It’s important for women to hear this really great information that you’ve given us today. To learn more about BayCare’s Heart and Vascular Services, please visit BayCareHeart.org that’s BayCareHeart.org. You’re listening to BayCare HealthChat. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.