How to Prevent Heart Disease in Women

Heart disease remains the number one killer of women, so if you are a woman it is every bit as important for you to try and prevent heart disease as it is for any man.

To help you - and your doctor - take the proper steps to prevent heart disease, the American Heart Association commissioned an expert panel to make specific recommendations for women. The panel released its updated recommendations in 2011. Here is a summary of those updated recommendations:

First, Estimate Your Risk

The first step is to estimate the level of your risk for developing cardiovascular disease into one of three categories: High Risk, At Risk, or Ideal Cardiovascular Health.

High Risk

You are in the high risk category if you have any of the following:

• Known coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
• Peripheral artery disease
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Serious kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Estimated 10-year risk of CAD of 10% or higher. You can estimate your 10-year risk using either the Reynolds Score (if you know your CRP level), or the Framingham method (if you do not know your CRP level).

At Risk

You are considered to be in the At Risk category if you are not at High Risk, but you have at least one of the following risk factors:

• Smoking
• Blood pressure above 120/80
• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Sedentary
• Family history of heart disease or stroke in father or brother at less than 55 years of age, or mother or sister at less than 65 years of age
• Metabolic syndrome
• Autoimmune or collagen-vascular disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
• History of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes, or delivery of underweight baby
• Known calcification of the coronary arteries or peripheral arteries

Ideal Cardiovascular Health

You are considered to have ideal cardiovascular health if you have all of the following:

• Total cholesterol (with no treatment) less than 200 mg/dL
• Fasting blood glucose < 100 mg/dL
• Blood pressure less than 120/80 (without treatment)
• Body mass index less than 25 kg/m2
• Non-smoker
• Physically active
• Heart-healthy diet

Next, Take The Right Steps to Prevent Heart Disease

All Women

No matter which risk category you are in, you need to make good lifestyle choices, including not smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and keeping your weight down.

For Women Who Are In High Risk

If you are in the High Risk category, you need high-quality and aggressive treatment for any underlying cardiovascular disease or diabetes, and you need aggressive management of all your other cardiac risk factors. Blood pressure and cholesterol control are particularly important. Notably, your target LDL cholesterol level should be somewhat less than for women whose risk is not as high. Specifically, your LDL level should be reduced to at least below 100 mg/dL, and many experts believe it should be lower than 70 mg/dL. Also, your doctor should strongly consider recommending aspirin therapy and omega-3 fatty acids.

Women At Risk If you are in the At Risk category, you and your doctor should work to reduce or eliminate the heart disease risk factors that are keeping you out of the "Ideal" category.

• Here is more information on managing your risk factors for heart disease.

_Sources:

_{Mosca L, Benjamin EJ, Berra K, et al. Effectiveness-based guidelines for the prevention of CVD in women—2011 update. A guideline from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2011; DOI:10.1161/CIR.0b013e31820faaf8.}