Women, Heart Health, and the Pandemic

By Sanjay Shetty, M.D.


Chief Medical Officer, Heart and Vascular Institute, AtlantiCare

“It was nothing!”

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll see my doctor later.”

My AtlantiCare Heart and Vascular Institute colleagues and I frequently hear comments such as these from women we see in the hospital and in our offices. Many things about life can affect our hearts — whether we are male, female, young, middle age, or senior — this is especially true among women. This is because women often have unique risk factors for, and symptoms of, heart disease and heart attack.

According to the American Heart Association, “The most common symptom of a heart attack for both men and women is chest pain. But women might experience less obvious warning signs.”

For example, men are more likely to have squeezing chest pressure; jaw, neck or back pain; nausea or vomiting; and shortness of breath.

Women might — but don’t always — experience chest pain. They could, however

• Have pain in their lower chest, upper abdomen, jaw, neck or upper back
• Be nauseous or vomit
• Experience shortness of breath or fainting
• Have indigestion
• Be extremely fatigued

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, having heart conditions including heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, and possibly high blood pressure (hypertension) can make you more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.

One of those “things” about life that we know has impacted women’s heart health, is the pandemic.

Recent studies confirm what we are seeing at AtlantiCare.

They’ve also shown that COVID-19 has been a heartbreaker that has unsuspectingly gripped the hearts of those who, prior to having the virus, had no known heart issues.

Our Heart and Vascular Institute team is finding that women who have had COVID-19, including those who had only mild symptoms, are now facing new heart issues.

These include high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, heart attack and other life-limiting and potentially fatal heart issues.

Some women with no known heart health risk factors have suffered heart attacks. What is very unusual, is that some of these women did not have a heart blockage. The commonality they share is that they had COVID-19.

Whether women have had COVID-19 or not, the far-reaching impacts of the pandemic have also hurt their hearts in other ways.

Stress contributes to heart disease, heart attack, and so many other illnesses that impact the heart. Women have shared with us that they lose sleep over whether they might lose their homes, worry about their children navigating school, and struggle with how to handle difficult conversations about precautions.

Women should always see their primary care provider —and when appropriate their cardiologist — regularly. If you’ve had COVID-19, tell your provider and ask what additional screenings or care you need.

Additionally, if you have had COVID-19 and are experiencing symptoms that last or appear more than four weeks after you’ve had the virus, give AtlantiCare’s Post COVID-19 Long-Haul Clinic team a call. AtlantiCare’s cardiologists work with this team to care for patients. We also refer cardiology patients to this team when patients are experiencing certain symptoms and longer-term issues that impact their brain and other organs.

We know that women often put care of others first. You can best care for, and give your heart to, others when you are healthy.

Make sure you AND your family are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19

• Continue to take precautions against COVID-19
• Get regular exercise
• Eat a heart-healthy diet
• If something doesn’t feel right, call your primary care provider or cardiologist
• Dial 911 immediately for symptoms of a heart attack

Of course, we are seeing many of the same pandemic-related heart health trends among all of our patients. Our team is here to help heal your heart and the hearts of those you love, and to prevent them from “getting broken” in the first place.

To learn more about, or schedule an appointment with AtlantiCare’s cardiac, primary care, Post-COVID-19 Long Haul clinic, or other programs and services, explore our website, or call 1-888-569-1000.