Women and Heart Disease

Wake Up Call for Women:
Be Good to Your Heart

“Too often, women are completely unaware of their risk for heart disease even though it’s the number one killer of American women,” explains Andalib Nawab, M.D., medical director of Ellis’ new Women & Heart Disease program. “We are tuned in to have mammograms and bone density tests, but heart screening is often not on a woman’s radar screen.”

Ellis Medicine is hoping to change this reality in our community through a new Women & Heart Disease program at the Neil and Jane Golub Breast & Heart Health Center. Ellis’ Wright Heart Center offers a comprehensive screening program at Bellevue Woman’s Center for women. Through the program, the patient will:

complete an evaluation to assess her risk for heart disease and provide personal and family history, at one place, on one date;
receive results from her risk assessment by the end of the appointment;
be referred to specialists (e.g., cardiologist, nutritionist, diabetes educator), only if applicable, for further evaluation and/or treatment.

Staggering Statistics*

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in American women.
More women than men die of heart disease each year.
A lmost two-thirds of the women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.

* from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention & American Heart Association

Know the Symptoms

Symptoms of heart disease in women can be subtle and wideranging from unusual fatigue, shortness of breath and neck pain to nausea and chest pain.

Heart Attack Symptoms for Women

Extreme fatigue
Chest pain, pressure
Dizziness and light-headedness
Shortness of breath
Profuse sweating
Severe heartburn

If you experience any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1.

Be Heart Healthy

The Ellis Women & Heart Disease Program screenings cost $25 and are held at Bellevue Woman’s Center Monday – Friday from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm.

“The good news is that heart disease is often preventable if women make the right choices for their hearts, including a proper diet, exercise, reducing stress and no smoking,” Dr. Nawab adds. “For those who already have heart disease, the sooner it’s detected, the more treatable it is, which makes screening paramount.”