When the differences between men and women begin to line up, the subject comes back to the sensuality and sensitivity of women. So much so that the tenderness of the female heart is mentioned. So, is there any medical validity to what was said? Do men’s and women’s hearts beat differently? Does being more sensitive make women more vulnerable to heart disease? Acıbadem International Hospital Cardiology Specialist Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil, while listing the differences between men’s and women’s hearts, said, “There are many differences between men and women. We can say that men’s and women’s hearts ‘beat’ differently. In the heart and circulatory system, there are important distinctions in terms of both disease risk and symptoms and drug response. However, although women may seem unlucky in terms of cardiovascular health, they can avoid risks with a healthy lifestyle. For example, just avoiding exercise and smoking can protect women from these diseases,” she says.
The heart’s structure and mode of action are basically the same in both men and women, but there are various differences in size, function and response to risk factors. Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil lists these differences as follows:
- Men’s hearts are larger than women’s. Heart weight is calculated by weight. In men, the heart is about 5.7 g/kg of body weight, while in women it’s only 4.8 g/kg. Accordingly, while the average heart weight of women is 200-280 grams, it varies between 250-390 grams in men.
- A woman’s heart beats faster than a man’s heart to meet her oxygen needs. While women’s hearts beat about 70 times per minute on average, this number drops to 60 in men.
- 57.8 percent of those diagnosed with heart disease are men and 42.2 percent are women. However, heart disease progresses more severely in women.
- Women are 8 percent more likely to die from heart disease than men. The most important reason for this is that many women are not aware of the risk and cannot interpret the symptoms of heart attack correctly.
- Heart attacks show different symptoms in women. Classic symptoms such as sharp pain and severe tension in the left chest cavity are less common in them. But they are more likely to have shortness of breath, pain between the shoulder blades and upper abdomen, and nausea and vomiting. For this reason, women may be late when they cannot detect the signs of a heart attack.
- Women with diabetes are 50 percent more likely to die from heart disease than men. Researches; It shows that diabetes, smoking and obesity, and psychological and social stress factors affect women more negatively.
- Women are diagnosed with vascular diseases later. Among the diagnosed patients, women are on average 10 years older than men.
The blood structure is also different.
Emphasizing that in addition to the differences in the hearts of men and women, blood and vascular structure also have gender-specific characteristics, Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil says:
“Women have almost a quarter less hemoglobin (the iron-rich protein stored in red blood cells) in their blood. Since hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood, oxygen transport to the organs is lower than in men. The oxygen supply decreases with age. For men, this rate is 1 percent per year, while for women it decreases by 0.8 percent.”
thinner veins
Since the vascular structure of women is thinner and more sensitive than men, even small pieces of plaque (fat accumulated in the vein) cause shrinkage. Small thrombi (mass adhering to the inner surface of the heart and vessels) can completely close the vessels. Giving information about the effects of female hormones on diseases, Cardiology Specialist Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil draws attention to the following points:
“Natural estrogen has a positive effect on fat metabolism and therefore on cholesterol levels. This is one of the reasons younger women are less prone to vasoconstriction. In addition, female hormones have a vasodilating effect. This effect also helps to protect women from coronary heart diseases, at least until menopause. However, caution should be exercised in hormone replacement therapy given to menopausal women. Because these hormones have effects on blood clotting. The risk of thrombosis increases, especially if there are other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol or blood pressure. It should be kept in mind that depending on the dose, hormones given through birth control pills can also increase the risk of thrombosis, heart attack and stroke.”
The effect level of risk factors is changing
An unhealthy lifestyle hits women harder. Noting that women who smoke have a higher risk of heart disease than men, Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil said, “In addition, diabetes increases the risk of heart attack in women more than twice compared to men. “Daily stress and depression also have a big impact on women,” she says.
Women underestimate the disease
The approach to the disease is also one of the differences between men and women. Saying that generally women tend to underestimate their heart problems, Dr. Aslıhan Eran Ergöknil said, “Chest pain and palpitations are attributed to extraordinary emotional states. It is considered a temporary and insignificant inconvenience. However, men take their complaints into consideration more than women and follow the doctor’s recommendations better.
Source: (BHA) – Beyaz News Agency
