Many people may not be aware of the impact of heart disease on women. It claims the lives of more American women than all forms of cancer.
Among women aged 20 years and up, nearly 45% are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.
Even worse, less than 50% of women entering pregnancy have good heart health.
As it is now, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of new moms and accounts for one third of maternal deaths.
Cardiologist Dr. Payal Khohli appeared on the Breakfast Club recently to discuss women’s cardiovascular health, saying that one of the dangers of high cholesterol is that it doesn’t always make itself known.
“You could have high cholesterol, not have any symptoms, and be walking around for decades with the cholesterol poisoning your arteries by sticking to them and creating these blockages,” she told host Craig Dillon. “Later in your life, this could manifest itself as heart attacks, strokes, or other kinds of vascular problems.”
Dr. Kohli adds that early and aggressive treatment is key. Statins have been life-saving drugs for many, but one of the trickiest parts of dealing with LDL or “bad” cholesterol is that women have a higher chance of statin intolerance than men, which can make high cholesterol more difficult to treat in women.
She adds that there is a huge genetic component to your LDL number. In fact, only about 20% of your base number is affected by your diet.
“For most people that LDL should be below 100. It should be double digits,” she explained. “If you have additional risk factors like a family history or already having heart disease, that number needs to be even lower…like below 70.”
Dr. Kohli says the best place to start for women AND men is to get tested by your doctor and perhaps get an x-ray of the heart, known as a coronary calcium scan.
More information is available online at GoRedForWomen.org.
