There are many types of heart issues, each with their own accompanying risks, symptoms and treatment.
For some people, lifestyle changes and medicine can make a huge difference in improving your health.
For others, you may need surgery to help things if really serious.
A poor diet and lack of exercise dramatically increases a person’s risk of developing a variety of heart issues.
But many factors are out of a person’s hands when it comes to added risk, with the timing of your menopause shown to be a major indicator when it comes to having heart problems later in life.
Heart disease and menopause
Heart attack symptoms differ between men and women, with women experiencing more shortness of breath and light-headedness compared to men.
According to a new study, these symptoms are not the only difference after a new cause for heart problems was found.
Women who enter menopause when they are 40 or younger are at an increasingly higher risk of having major heart problems later in life, says the new study.
The Korean research, which was published in the European Heart Journal, looked at over 1.4 million women with premature menopause and found a startling 33% increased risk of heart failure and 9% higher risk of an irregular heart rhythm compared to women who entered menopause at a normal range.
Other findings from the study included:
- Heart health risks increased as women experienced menopause earlier in life, compared to those who went into menopause after 50.
- Risk of heart failure was 39% higher among women who entered menopause younger than 40, 23% higher for women 40 to 44, and 11% higher for women 45 to 49.
- Risk of atrial fibrillation was 11% higher for women younger than 40, 10% higher for women 40 to 44, and 4% higher for women 45 to 49.
Menopause symptoms
Early signs warning of early menopause include:
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex
- Difficulty sleeping
- Low mood or anxiety
- Reduced sex drive (libido)
- Problems with memory and concentration.
This comes as another new study reveals how loneliness and isolation significantly increases heart issues later in life, too.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, found that being isolated from others increases a person’s chances of having a stroke or a heart attack by nearly a third.
“Over four decades of research has clearly demonstrated social isolation and loneliness are both associated with adverse health outcomes,” said lead author of the study Dr Crystal Wiley Cené, a professor of clinical medicine and chief administrative officer for health equity, diversity and inclusion.
“Given the prevalence of social disconnectedness, the public health impact is quite significant.”
Dealing with menopause symptoms
“Taking hormones (HRT or the contraceptive pill) up to the natural age of menopause (51 years on average) replaces the hormones that your body would otherwise be producing, and this reduces the risk of heart disease,” said Dr Louise Newson from the British Heart Foundation.
She added: “Taking HRT before the natural age of the menopause is very safe, and helps to protect your bones as well as reducing risk of future heart disease.
“The benefits outweigh the risks.”
