Subtle Differences

Typically, men first have symptoms of heart disease when they are 55 to 60 years old, but women tend to develop symptoms of heart disease at 65 to 70 years, Hedberg says. One of the reasons for this is that men and women don’t approach health care in the same way.

“Women are much better, in general, at preventive care,” says Dr. Pam Paulsen, a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Consultants, a program of North Memorial Heart Center in Robbinsdale. This may be a result of getting regular gynecological care from an early age. “But men are better at emergency care,” Paulsen adds. “So men come to the hospital much sooner with their heart attacks than women. Because women tend to be the caregivers for the family, they don’t want to bother other people.”

Given those distinctions, are there any differences in risk factors for developing heart disease, such as unhealthy behavior or heredity? Here, men and women are the same. “There are nine major things that account for heart disease,” Paulsen says. “We used to think family history was a lot of it. But family history is probably about 10 percent of a person’s risk. Two-thirds of their risk overall is smoking and high cholesterol.” Other factors that contribute to heart disease are diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, lack of daily fruits and vegetables, and a lack of moderate alcohol consumption (too little or too much).

Despite the differences in how men and women experience heart disease and approach health care, prevention is the same for both sexes. Recognizing risk factors—especially the factors that you may be able to control, such as high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and tobacco use—is the first step to understanding your heart risk.

“Probably more important than anything is to discontinue tobacco,” Hedberg says. “It’s just such a key element in preventing recurrent heart attacks.” According to the American Heart Association, smoking increases blood pressure and the tendency for blood clots. Decreasing stress could lower your risk, too. “If you look at most people who are hospitalized in the United States for anything—whether it’s a broken bone, a heart attack, or pneumonia—they’ve had a major stressor within the last month,” Paulsen says.

In any case, if you find yourself experiencing any symptoms of heart disease, get it checked out fast. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack each year, about 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal—and about half of those deaths occur within one hour of the start of symptoms and before the person reaches the hospital.