White Plains Hospital Cardiologist Raises Heart Health Awareness

According to the CDC, heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women—more than cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. For women, the health crisis is even more urgent. Why? Because women are more likely to ignore symptoms and delay treatment, and they are less likely to receive EKG’s, seek a cardiologist’s care, be prescribed medications to prevent and treat heart disease, or receive less invasive diagnostic measures.

“Heart disease is a silent killer in this country, and for women preventing the disease is challenging,” says board-certified cardiologist Shalini Bobra, MD, who practices at both White Plains Hospital Medical and Wellness in Armonk and the Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care in the Bronx. “Women may not experience the classic heart attack symptoms that men experience, so they’ll chalk it up to other things, like heartburn. It’s important for women to recognize that heart disease is a women’s health issue. They need to keep it top of mind all year long.”

February is American Heart Month, and February 2nd kicks off “National Go Red Day” for women’s heart health. Dr. Bobra wants women’s heart health to be a top priority 365 days a year, not just for one month.

Top among the reasons why women may ignore the signs of heart attack is that they experience heart attacks differently. Instead of the classic pain in one arm, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing, women can experience pain anywhere in the upper body, like the back, shoulder, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.

“Women may experience unusual upper body pain or discomfort in one or both arms. But they can also experience chest pain, discomfort, and pressure, breaking out in a cold sweat, dizziness or light headedness, nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath,” Dr. Bobra notes.

Additionally, women who delay treatment often do so out of a tendency to put their own needs last. “Women tend to worry about their kids’ health, or the health of their spouse first, but their health needs are just as important,” says Dr. Bobra, who wants all women to know how to recognize the signs of heart attack and seek treatment right away. “If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, call 911 without delay,” she urges.

Knowing your risk factors for heart disease is also important, and testing is a must for blood pressure, weight and body mass index, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL). In 2017, new blood pressure guidelines were released and elevated high blood pressure is identified for readings over 120/80; hypertension is defined at 130/80 or higher.

Dr. Bobra points out that there are risk factors for heart disease that are non-modifiable (age, family history, ethnicity) and modifiable (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, tobacco use, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity). She notes that the best way to modify risk of heart disease, for both women and men, is to embrace healthy lifestyle changes—quitting tobacco; eating a heart healthy, plant based diet; getting regular exercise; reducing stress; and knowing your family history.

“The good news about heart disease for women is that knowledge is power. When we have the knowledge about our risk factors and family history, we have the power to live our best, healthiest lives,” she says.