Column: Heart disease not for men only

For Libby resident Opal Smith, having a heart attack was the last thing she expected.

“I was tired and my jaw hurt,” Smith said. “I would have never have thought I was having a heart attack. I let it go too long.”

After three days of discomfort, Smith decided to seek medical attention at the St. John’s Lutheran Hospital emergency room. After a thorough evaluation, it was determined that she was in need of immediate, specialized care. From there, she was flown via ALERT helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, and doctors inserted a stent to open a blocked artery.

Like most women, Smith was unaware that symptoms of heart disease in women can differ from those of men. Although women do experience chest pain generally associated with heart attack, they commonly have other more subtle symptoms including fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, jaw pain and general discomfort in the chest and abdominal area.

While smoking can increase women’s risk for heart attack up to five times that of nonsmokers, some risk factors are beyond one’s control, including age (risk of heart disease increases in postmenopausal women), family history (women with parents with heart disease are most likely to develop it) and race (African-American and hispanic women are at greater risk than caucasian women).

Even with those risks, certain lifestyle changes can improve a person’s overall outlook, according to the American Heart Association. Women can decrease risk quickly and significantly by not smoking, eating a diet low in saturated fat that includes five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, exercising regularly and controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Although the symptoms of heart disease may vary, prevention is similar for men and women. Everyone who adopts a healthy lifestyle is doing a lot to decrease the risk of heart disease.

Both Smith and her husband have adopted a more healthy lifestyle by eating more healthy foods and vegetables. Also, after having smoked most of her life, Smith quit. She is enrolled in the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at St. John’s where she exercises regularly and attends health education lectures.

St. John’s recently expanded its cardiology program by partnering with Kalispell Regional Medical Center to offer a cardiology clinic in south Lincoln County providing cardiac care for local residents.

Cardiologists and a nurse practitioner from Rocky Mountain Heart & Lung are available at the clinic in the Medical Arts West building every Wednesday to see patients for follow-up and preventive care.

In recognition of February as American Heart Month, Smith’s advice to other women is simple.

“Don’t ignore the signs of heart disease. See your doctor,” she said.

For more information please call:

• Ruth Fenn, St. John’s Lutheran Hospital Cardiac Rehab Program at 293-0125.

• Leslee Chavez, Rocky Mountain Heart & Lung Clinic/Libby at 293-1920.