Women’s Heart Health
The Women’s Heart Health Program at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center provides comprehensive care for women with heart disease or those at high risk for heart disease. The program focuses on all aspects of cardiac care from risk assessment and prevention to the treatment of complex cardiac conditions.
Our team has expertise in diagnosing and treating gender and ethnically related cardiac conditions as well as treating women with chest pain syndrome and heart failure using state-of-the-art techniques such as biomarker testing, which uses bodily fluids to look at the molecules of your organs, and advanced cardiac imaging. Cardiologists meet with women of all ages to discuss their current condition or review their risk for heart disease.
The Women’s Heart Health Program focuses on risk reduction, particularly for those women with a family history of premature heart disease or those with multiple risk factors such as elevated cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes. The program can also benefit women who have had a heart attack or previous heart disease.
Specialized services include:
- Heart health education
- Risk assessment
- Primary and secondary cardiac prevention
- Lifestyle modification
- Nutritional counseling
- Exercise prescription
- Smoking cessation
- Diagnostic testing
- Interventional and surgical procedures
Risk Factors
Heart disease is usually preventable. One or more risk factors increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. These include:
- Smoking
- High blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes and prediabetes
- Family history of premature heart disease
- Obesity and being overweight
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy diet
- Drinking more than one alcoholic beverage per day
- Stress or depression
- Sleep apnea
Symptoms of Heart Disease in Women
Women are less likely to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and seek treatment right away. By learning and recognizing the symptoms, women can become more proactive in their treatment.
The most common symptoms of heart attack in women are:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Unusual fatigue
- Cold sweat
- Dizziness
- Pain or pressure in the back or high chest
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms
- Discomfort described as a pressure, ache, or tightness that comes and goes
- Burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen
- Irregular heartbeat
- Nausea
Call To Make An Appointment
860-679-3343