The problem occurs when at a specific age, there are fewer women than men who will get heart disease, but the overall numbers are equal. If we look at people who are 55, there will be more men who will have a heart attack, but what happens at 85 is that most of the men are no longer alive anymore, and women make up the larger population of people who have heart attacks. We look at all these risk factors and try to modify them and prevent development of cardiovascular disease. In people who have inherited very high cholesterol, it often takes multiple drugs as well as diet to lower the bad cholesterol level. The drugs can come from several different classes.
Women can have chest discomfort just like men do.
They can also have different types of discomfort in locations such as the very lower part of the chest or upper part of abdomen up into the jaw or the neck. The important thing for women to realize is that any type of discomfort that does not resolve promptly should prompt a woman to seek medical attention and have it evaluated. The pain can radiate into the shoulders or arms and occasionally can radiate to the back between the shoulder blades. I've read that women usually take longer to get to a doctor. That's an excellent question.