Dr. McNicholas' advice to
help women lower their
risk factors of coronary
artery disease:

Learn your risk factors.

See your doctor regularly.
Be persistent.

Slow down - take as much care of your own medical needs as you do for others.

Get moving - exercise.
Take a daily walk.

Adopt a healthier diet.
Eat a serving of fish a
week and a fruit or
vegetable with each meal.

If you smoke , get the help
you need to quit today.

Get a baseline EKG at
menopause.

Don't underestimate risk
factors - modify them.
You can change:

• Obesity
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Blood glucose
• Cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Stress

A woman's heart may be 'the strongest force in nature,' but half of all women still die from cardiovascular disease, cardiothoracic surgeon Kathleen W.  McNicholas, M.D., tells women when she speaks on her favorite subject - women and heart disease. Dr. McNicholas speaks with the authority of both a doctor and a patient when she calls on all women to increase their knowledge about one of the leading causes of death for women. 'Most women don't realize that since 1984, more females than males have died of heart disease,' she says, adding that 'African-American women have a higher mortality rate than others.'

A seasoned surgeon in her mid-50s, McNicholas had open-heart surgery herself, where else but at Christiana Hospital in the fall of 2003. But even she was not quick to diagnose heart disease in herself. She coughed all night, felt some 'vague' chest pain and generally felt bad, like she'd aged rapidly. 'Two thirds of women and one third of doctors don't recognize the symptoms of heart attack in females - symptoms that are often more subtle than the classic ‘elephant sitting on your chest',' she says. 'The universal sign-clutching your chest- often doesn't apply to women. Instead, women having heart attacks often experience breathlessness, flu-like symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, weakness or dizziness, pain in the upper back, shoulders, neck or jaw, and anxiety.'

McNicholas' advice to women: 'Don't take chances. Get familiar with the symptoms of heart disease in women and recognize them as standard, but different,' she says. 'And understand that your own perception of heart disease may be your biggest risk factor.'

If you suspect you could be having a heart attack, call 911 immediately! Don't take chances. Remember that the care you want to give to others depends on the care you first give yourself.

Heart disease risk factors for women:

You can be at risk if you:

• Smoke
• Are overweight
• Are diabetic
• Have high cholesterol
• Have high blood pressure
• Have a family history of heart disease
• Are not physically active
• Are under stress
• Are postmenopausal
• Don't see your doctor regularly
• Don't care for your own medical needs the way you do for others
• Still think of heart disease as a "man's disease."

No Heart Left Behind

In an ongoing effort to improve heart health among women, the No Heart Left Behind program encourages teens to be healthy lifestyle advocates for their mothers.

Download this pamphlet to get a description of risk factors and signs & symptoms .

No Heart Left Behind