Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. Since the mid 1980’s more women have died of heart disease than men. What is a woman’s best defense against heart disease? In this episode of the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Rekha Mankad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, discusses women’s heart health topics, including:
- Chest pain being a common symptom, but often not the only one. Other symptoms such as back and shoulder pain can be signs of heart problems in women.
- Women often delaying seeking care for heart attack or heart disease because they think it’s something else.
- Steps women can take to reduce heart disease risk, which skyrockets after menopause.
- Within 5 years of menopause, women’s heart disease risk reaches about the same level as in men.
- Risk of heart attack and stroke in those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
This podcast originally appeared on Mayo Clinic Q&A.
Relevant reading
Hearing, Balance and Vision Bundle
In Mayo Clinic on Better Hearing and Balance, you'll get the answers to many common questions about hearing and balance, like how hearing and balance are tested, ways to protect your hearing health, what you can do to improve your balance, how underlying causes of hearing loss are treated, and…
