Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : February 26, 2018 6:15 PM IST
After the entire nation went on shock learning about the sad demise of veteran Bollywood actress Sridevi due to cardiac arrest, many expressed disbelief in the fact that a woman fit and healthy like her could die because of a heart condition. The most common myth about heart diseases or heart conditions is that the majority believes women don t suffer from heart diseases as men do. Experts in the field of medicine and science have been doing their best to dispel this myth. But still, there is lack of awareness among the general public when it comes to woman s health and heart diseases. Here are few unusual risk factors of heart diseases in women.
Dr K K Aggarwal President Heart Care Foundation of India and Immediate Past National President IMA tells us about the signs that could indicate that a woman is suffering from certain heart health issues:
If she cannot walk for six minutes without tiring
This is one of the most effective and easiest ways to find out if a woman is suffering from any heart conditions or has any blockages in the heart. The six minutes walking test is the easiest and simplest one for which no lab or machines are needed. If you can walk more than 500 meters in six minutes then probably you do not have any significant blockages or if you can walk 2 km or climb two flights of stairs without going breathless you can safely say that your heart is healthy. Here are few ways to keep your heart healthy.
If she is always tired and breathless
Women have a lot of burden on their shoulders and seldom do they complain about the pressures of their day-to-day activities. This is a reason why tiredness and fatigue are always ignored. However, if there is persistent weakness, tiredness, chest tightening after the age of 40, despite having adequate sleep and rest. It is a sign that your heart is taking too much strain than it can sustain. Here are things that can harm your heart more than high cholesterol.
If she has a strong family history of heart disease
If any member of the family reportedly has heart disease it increases the risk in females of having heart disease manifolds. If a male member of the family had heart disease before 55 or female before 65, it amounts to a strong family history of heart disease and a woman could be a silent sufferer. Remember the symptoms of heart diseases in women show 10 years later than in men. A strong family history of heart diseases can be linked to sudden cardiac death if blockages in the heart were not detected on time.
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