Women & Heart Disease—
the Heart of the Matter
By Mary Sampey
"I always considered myself a healthy person," says Dot Cinnicola. "I wasn’t overweight. I was very active. I got regular checkups. I didn’t thnk I had anything to worry about." … Famous last words.
Dot Cinnicola was only 57 years old when she had a heart attack. Dot, like many women, did not perceive heart disease to be her greatest health threat. But what many women don't realize is that heart disease is the nation's number-one killer, and women are its prime target. One in 10 women between the ages of 45 and 64 have some form of heart disease, and this number increases to one in four women after age 65.
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| Heart attack survivor Dot Cinnicola is grateful for the care she received at the John C. Lincoln – North Mountain Progressive Cardiac Care Unit. Dot, an employee at John C. Lincoln Senior Apartments, says the experience has given her a second chance at life and a new respect for her health. |
"Every year, more women die of heart disease and stroke than men," says Rose Marie Robertson, MD, a past president of the American Heart Association and director of the Vanderbilt Women’s Heart Institute in Nashville, Tenn. "The overall lifetime risk of dying from breast cancer for women is 3 percent. For cardiovascular disease or stroke in women, it’s nearly 50 percent."
"I think there's a belief held by many men and women, physicians and laymen alike, that heart attacks are solely a man's problem. But coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death of both men and women in the United States," says Marianne Legato, MD, founder of the Partnership for Women’s Health at Columbia University. Her female patients tell her they worry more about cancer, yet 250,000 women die of heart attacks each year, compared with 40,000 who die of breast cancer.
But Dot didn’t know this—not yet. Soon, though, numbers like this would be burned into her mind forever.
Rude Awakening
"My kids took me to the hospital with terrible heartburn and the worst pain in the back of my neck," Dot remembers. "I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but it just hurt so bad. The Emergency room doctor thought it might be a case of acid reflux and sent me home with medication."
The next day, however, Dot's symptoms grew worse and her children again took her to the Emergency department. "My symptoms were the same, but much stronger and now my jaw really hurt. I thought it was because I was clenching my teeth so hard through the pain."
Dot later learned that all of her symptoms lead to one diagnosis—heart disease. She was admitted to John C. Lincoln Hospital – North Mountain's Progress Cardiovascular Care Unit, a specialized patient care area that treats cardiac issues.
"My nurse Maxine was just terrific," remembers Dot. "She got me settled into my room and checked me over. She wasn't very happy with what she saw. So she called in Dr. Surdakowski."
Francis Surdakowski, MD, is a leading cardiologist in the Valley and one of John C. Lincoln's premier physicians. Upon hearing Dot's symptoms, he immediately came to her room.
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| Following her heart attack, Dot Cinnicola no longer takes the little things for granted. | |
"I remember it was very early in the morning and I was impressed that he came in so early just to see me," recalls Dot. "He examined me and had me tested for everything under the sun. Then he came back and told me that he wanted to do a procedure called a heart catheterization. I had no idea what that was! I remember suddenly being in tremendous pain. People began moving very quickly, and Dr. Surdakowski was telling the nurses to give me morphine.
"I guess it was then when I realized I was having a heart attack. I was really scared, but through it all I just kept my eyes on Dr. Surdakowski. He kept telling me he was going to get me through this, just to hang on. And he did! He is my angel. He saved my life!"
Dot was rushed to one of John C.’s Cardiac Catheterization Labs for an emergency cath. "Less than five years ago, the standard first-line treatment for a patient with symptoms of a heart attack was a clot-busting drug such as streptokinase or t-PA," says Karen Bauer, director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at John C. Lincoln Hospital - North Mountain. "But now, the majority of patients are sent directly to the Cath Lab, where they can be evaluated and treated precisely and effectively."
Lessons Learned
Dot is one of the lucky ones. According to the American Heart Association, if a woman has a heart attack, she is twice as likely as a man to die within a year. If she doesn’t die, she is twice as likely to have a second heart attack.
Dot, like so many women, had a preconceived notion about what the signs and symptoms of a heart attack are. In the movies, it’s dramatic when the hero is having a heart attack. They suddenly clutch their chest and fall to the floor. But in reality, and especially for women, the symptoms can be much more subtle—if there are any symptoms at all.
Dot’s symptoms—heart burn, pain the back of the neck, jaw pain—are all classic signs of heart disease in women.
As for that classic chest pain or the feeling of pressure or squeezing in the chest, only about half of female heart attack victims report these as chief complaints upon arrival at a hospital.
Heart attacks often start with only mild discomfort hours, days or even weeks before the actual attack. This was true for Dot as well.
"Weeks before my heart attack, I remember having such a terrible heart burn that I would have to pull my car over. I would even throw up. I had no idea this was a warning sign of things yet to come."
Healthy Prognosis
Three years later, Dot is doing well. She beat the odds and hasn’t had that deadly second heart attack. She also knows what her cholesterol is, her blood pressure and her risk factors.
"I realize now how important my health is and I’ll never take it for granted again. I’ve got a lot to live for, and you better believe I’m going to do everything I can to make sure my heart keeps ticking for a long, long time. I’m so grateful to the wonderful medical staff at John C. Lincoln. They gave me a second chance at life."