Heart Health Champions
The region’s top heart experts share their insight on the latest advances in heart care and the best ways to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Brought to you by Main Line Health
Keeping Your Heart in Rhythm
Bindi Shah, MD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Lankenau Heart Institute, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias. She has a focus on arrhythmia device implantation, such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Here, she explains the unique factors women should understand about arrhythmias.
What are the different types of arrhythmias, and how do their symptoms and treatments vary between men and women? There are many different types of arrhythmias, and there is a wide variety of symptoms and treatments for each arrhythmia. Some are dangerous and life threatening, but others are not. Some arrhythmias may be more prevalent in one gender, but they generally occur in both men and women. Symptoms can also vary by gender, but generally men and women will feel similar symptoms of the same arrhythmia.
Brought to you by Prime Healthcare
The Critical Differences
Dr. Mohamad Taha is an interventional cardiologist affiliated with Prime Healthcare-Roxborough Memorial Hospital and Suburban Community Hospital.Dr. Shahzad Ahmed is board certified in several specialties, including interventional cardiology. Here, they discuss how heart attacks in women present different challenges and solutions than those in men.
How do red flags for heart attacks differ for women compared to men? Dr. Shahzad Ahmed: While chest pain is often recognized as a classic symptom of a heart attack or coronary artery disease, women may experience a broader spectrum of symptoms. These can include shortness of breath, a sense of heaviness in the chest, heartburn, extreme fatigue, dizziness, anxiety and swelling in the legs. This variation in symptoms can sometimes lead to misdiagnosis or delayed treatment in women, as their presentations may not align with the traditional male-centric understanding of heart attacks. Therefore, it is crucial for women to be vigilant about these atypical signs and to advocate for their health by seeking medical attention if they experience any concerning symptoms.