“Heart Disease is the number one killer in women.” Garrett Sanford, MD, FACC is a cardiologist with Walker Heart Institute Cardiovascular Clinic. “One in three women will die from heart disease. Traditionally we think about it more in men, but that’s not particularly the case. It just occurs earlier in men than in women. In men, it usually occurs in the ’50s and ’60s, and in women, it tends to occur in the ’60s and ’70s.”

Women can experience the same symptoms as men:

•Heaviness in Chest
•Constriction in Chest
•Shortness of Breath
•Left Neck Pain
•Left Shoulder Pain

“But women can have different symptoms in the fact that they don’t necessarily have to have chest pain.”

Garrett Sanford, MD, FACC

Other Symptoms women might have are:
•Nausea
•Fatigue
•Sleep Disturbances

“We can’t control our genetics, but there are other things that we can control such as smoking, blood sugar, and management or avoidance of diabetes. Know our numbers with regard to what our blood pressure is and also have our lipids checked at least annually with your primary care doctor. and in certain situations, if there are persons with a strong family history of coronary artery disease there may be other testing that may be indicated.”

For more information or to request an appointment go to wregional.com/heart.