Heart disease risk factors for women

Heart disease risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. They affect both women and men. But other things may play a bigger role in the development of heart disease in women.

Women are more likely than men to have health conditions that increase the risk of heart disease such as:

• Smoking. Smoking is a greater risk factor for heart disease in women than it is in men.
• Not being active. A lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for heart disease.
• Emotional stress and depression. Stress and depression may affect women's hearts more than men's. Depression may make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow recommended treatment for other health conditions.
• Diabetes. Women with diabetes are more likely to develop heart disease than are men with diabetes. Also, because diabetes can change the way people feel pain, there's an increased risk of having a silent heart attack. A silent heart attack is one that happens without symptoms.
• Menopause. Low levels of estrogen after menopause increase the risk of developing small vessel heart disease.
• Pregnancy complications. High blood pressure or diabetes during pregnancy can increase women's long-term risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. These conditions also make women more likely to get heart disease.
• Family history of early heart disease. This appears to be a greater risk factor in women than in men.
• Other health conditions. Some autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and scleroderma, and inflammatory conditions also raise the risk of heart disease.

Everyone should take heart disease seriously. Women under age 65 — especially those with a family history of heart disease — should pay close attention to heart disease risk factors.