Sunday 29 September is Dress Red Day, the day on which attention is drawn to the women's heart. Because it really works differently than the man's heart. These readers talk about the heart problems they had to deal with.
Tamara (45): “I have had palpitations every month for five years, as if my heart wants to leave my body. Only when I lie down and do breathing exercises do they disappear after about five minutes. A heart film in the hospital showed nothing, so I asked my GP for a referral to the Heart Clinic. You can go there for an ultrasound after a week. This should show whether I am wrong.”
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Wanda (39): “Two years ago it was discovered that there is a construction defect in my heart valve, which is why I have a heart murmur. I was shocked at first, but I have every confidence in my cardiologist and go for a check-up. I had already started eating healthier, stopped smoking and started exercising more after being diagnosed with elevated cholesterol. Furthermore, the news about the heart murmur has not changed my life, because I am not yet experiencing any consequences.”
Claudia (44): “Two years ago I suddenly started experiencing hoarseness at work, followed by dizziness, nausea, sweating and a pinching feeling in my right arm. That lasted about five minutes and it happened three more times later. I didn't trust it, so went to the doctor's office. Nothing came of it, but not long after that I had an even heavier heart attack. I got through it well, but never let a doctor send you a mess.”
Cardiologist Janneke Wittekoek has made it her mission to identify, recognize and remedy cardiovascular diseases in women in good time:“Women are more likely to have pain between the shoulder blades. It seems that their bra is too tight, they have the feeling that they can't breathe, they are short of breath and often very tired. Doctors mistakenly mistake this for premenstrual or menopausal symptoms.”
“Studies show that women who have only a little atherosclerosis already suffer from a cramping of the smaller blood vessels. As a result, they experience severe complaints, but these disappear as soon as they receive medicines in the ambulance that open the blood vessels wide. In the hospital there seems to be nothing wrong:EKGs show no abnormalities, the blood vessels are okay.
Women are always sent home with the message that they should take it easy, but a few weeks later they are there again. It is incredibly important that complaints are recognized in time and treated properly right away”, says Wittekoek.
“Almost all of our cardiology knowledge and associated protocols and guidelines are based on studies on male subjects. But the treatment that works for men often has the opposite effect for women. For example, women have more side effects and the doses are often much too high, making them sick and stopping sooner. But in the meantime they do run a high risk of a heart attack.”
“That is why I am so keen on better information about women's hearts. The sooner you catch it, the better you can contain the risk factors. Know your numbers:your blood pressure, your cholesterol, your BMI. Buy a blood pressure monitor or visit your doctor for a check-up. I sometimes say that you are lucky if you get complaints that are recognized. If you are unlucky, the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease is a fatal heart attack that you cannot remember. Take responsibility yourself and immediately ring the bell in the event of complaints. This is the only way we can move forward.”
Text:Fleur Baxmeier
