As a very active and fit woman, Ann Hayes had no concerns whatsoever about her health until last year when she woke up in the middle of the night with heart palpitations. They lasted for a few minutes and then stopped, so, unconcerned, she went back to sleep.
However, a few months later, when visiting her GP for a routine check, she mentioned the incident and this put the wheels in motion for a series of tests which may have saved her life.
“It was October of last year when I got the palpitation and although it was strange that it was strong enough to wake me up, I didn’t do anything about it at the time,” she says. “In fact, it wasn’t until January of this year that I made an appointment to see my doctor and she said that we should get it checked out.
“I have had hypertension for a while, but it was very well controlled, so that wasn’t an issue. But I do have a strong family history of heart trouble as my father died suddenly when he was 65, and then my younger brother – who, like me, is very active – had a stent put in due to heart trouble, so I suppose I should have been thinking along those lines.
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“But, thankfully, my doctor was on the ball and referred me to a consultant. I wasn’t at all concerned at the time and was relaxed about it when I got to see Prof Robert Kelly in March. We had a chat and I was examined and then referred for a few tests. A CT scan showed up some plaque, but he said that wasn’t too concerning, so I was put on Aspirin and told to continue on with what I was doing as my diet was very good and I did a lot of exercise.”
The Sligo woman was also referred for an MRI and, while waiting for results, went on holiday to France with her husband, where the pair spent a few weeks hiking and enjoying the sunshine. Convinced she was completely fine, she was unprepared to be told on her return that the scan revealed she had a blockage in one of her arteries and she would need to have a stent put in as soon as possible.
“I was so shocked by this news – you literally could have knocked me over with a feather,” says the 64-year-old. “The doctor told my husband that, because everyone has heard of people who literally just drop dead, it was really important that I got sorted out as quickly as possible. If it hadn’t been for the vigilance of my GP and also the expertise of Robert Kelly, God only knows what would have happened.
“Thankfully, it was caught in time and I was booked in for the stent, which was actually a fairly quick procedure requiring just an overnight stay in hospital. Then the next day I was back home and, while feeling a bit weak from the whole thing, was back to normal in no time.”
If my doctor hadn’t acted like she did and sent me for tests, then my story might have had a totally different outcome
The retired nurse manager, who has three grown-up children, says she was back on her feet within a few days and was soon back walking and exercising as normal.
“Women, by our very nature, are always juggling so many things at once, particularly if we have children, so we tend to ignore our own health,” she says. “Then when we get older, we think that all of the symptoms we are getting are down to the menopause, so I would encourage people not to ignore anything.
“Be aware of any symptoms which maybe you didn’t have before, and get them checked out. It was only after my stent was put in that I remembered other strange symptoms, such as a really sharp and severe pain in my left ring finger – this was unusual and of course I didn’t get it checked out, but I should have.
“So we need to pay attention to everything and not brush things away and hope that it will go away, because if my doctor hadn’t acted like she did and sent me for tests, then my story might have had a totally different outcome.”
Prof Robert Kelly, consultant in cardiology and lifestyle medicine at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, says it is vital for women to be aware of heart disease and to know that it can happen at any stage.
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“Heart disease is the number one killer for women, and one in two die each year from heart disease and stroke in Ireland,” he says. “Over 70 per cent of women believe that breast cancer is a bigger threat to their life than heart disease, even though the latter increases death risk seven fold. The risk of heart disease increases with age, but it can be found as early as 25 years of age. However, the key message is that 80 per cent of it is preventable.
“Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue, heart palpitations (racing heart beats), dizzy spells, blackouts and flu-like symptoms such as sweating and feeling sick.
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“Women may experience sharp chest pain on the right side of the chest, instead of the typical left side, and/or they may feel pain in the left arm, right arm and in the abdomen. But women sometimes dismiss symptoms and do not seek medical attention.”
The cardiac expert says there is no clear explanation why men and women have varied symptoms, but heart disease can easily be missed in women who go to see the doctor or attend Accident & Emergency departments when feeling unwell.
There are a number of reasons why heart disease is so prevalent:
- More than half of Irish women are obese or overweight.
- 300,000 women have high blood pressure.
- 7 per cent are diabetic, 20 per cent+ have high cholesterol, 70 per cent are inactive.
- More than 50 per cent consume an unhealthy diet
- 21 per cent of Irish women smoke.
- 80 per cent of women are not aware of their risk for heart disease (which can include family history).
“Women should seek medical advice with any symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations etc,” says Prof Kelly, whose book, The Heart Book: Making Positive Changes for a Healthy and Happier Life, was published recently.
“And in the absence of symptoms, both men and women over 30 years should have blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checked with their GP, especially in cases with family history of any heart disease. Early detection of heart risk and disease can be treated and, in many cases, reversed. Those include diabetes, which can be reversed with diet changes – as can obesity, cholesterol and blood pressure.
“Women who struggle with stress, poor sleep, and social disconnection or poor family relationships are also at higher risk for heart disease and may not be aware of this. Inactivity, poor diet and smoking are the other main risk factors.
“It is important to highlight how menopause at any age increases heart disease risk due to lower oestrogen levels. Looking after heart risk factors is important to optimise heart health and minimise the effect from the menopause. At the same time, HRT has benefits to protect heart health – as do lifestyle measures of physical exercise and healthy diet.
“Similarly with pregnancy, some women develop blood pressure and diabetes and that may increase risk of future heart problems.”
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