How to Detect Women's Heart Disease

For many women, the signs of heart disease are not outwardly visible, at least not immediately. When the heart muscle is damaged in some way, this makes it harder for the heart to pump blood. And when the damage affects the heart's electrical system, it is called an "arrhythmia," which makes it more challenging for the heart to pump blood efficiently. Unfortunately, there is no single test to detect heart disease.

Instructions

Detect Women's Heart Disease

• 1

  Keep track of your possible symptoms. Women who later have heart attacks have reported extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, indigestion and shortness of breath for at least a month before the attack.

• 2

  Know your numbers. You are less likely to develop heart disease if you keep your levels as follows:
  Total cholesterol: <200 mg/dL
  LDL, or "bad," cholesterol: Optimal: <100 mg/dL; near optimal/above optimal: 100 to 129 mg/dL
  HDL, or "good," cholesterol: 50 mg/dL or higher
  Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL
  Blood pressure: <120/80 mmHg
  Fasting glucose: <100 mg/dL
  Body mass index (BMI): <25

• 3

  Know your risks. You are more likely to develop heart disease if you have a family history of it, are over 55, are African-American, are overweight, smoke, are physically inactive, or have high blood pressure and/or diabetes.

• 4

  Visit your doctor. Get yearly blood tests to assess the numbers listed in Step 1. If you are at risk for heart disease, get a C-reactive protein test to find out if there is inflammation in your body.

• 5

  Get an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) to measure your heart's electrical activity. Small electrodes are adhered to the skin of your chest, arms and legs to measure your heart rhythm (fast, slow or irregular), detect blood flow to the heart (adequate or inadequate), and identify heart abnormalities, such as enlarged chambers or a heart defect. It can also confirm a heart attack, past or present