Women and Heart Disease: A Conversation with Dr. Katherine Shreyder

By Kevin Brown

Heart disease is traditionally thought of as impacting mostly men. But did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women in the United States? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 314,186 U.S. women, or one in five, died from heart disease in 2020. American Heart Month will be celebrated in February to raise awareness of heart disease in the U.S. and is the perfect opportunity to increase awareness of heart disease among women.

Dr. Katherine Shreyder, St. Clair Health’s newest cardiologist and the first female physician to join St. Clair Medical Group Cardiology, recently offered advice on heart disease and women.

Public education about breast cancer has helped to decrease the mortality rate among women. Dr. Shreyder believes the same is needed for cardiovascular disease. “The field of cardiovascular disease is lacking the approach taken with breast cancer education to reduce mortality rates,” she notes. “We need to take the same steps to expand education, which can help to improve mortality from cardiovascular disease in females.” So, let’s get started by answering some frequently asked questions.

What causes heart disease?

According to Dr. Shreyder, there's a large variety of cardiovascular problems throughout the lifespan. “The one that we address the most is ischemic cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease, when plaque forms in the heart vessels,” she explains. “The risk factors for coronary artery disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and obesity. These are, of course, the prevalent risk factors in both genders.”

“Nowadays, additional risk factors specific to females are recognized,” Dr. Shreyder adds. “They include high blood pressure or diabetes during pregnancy, preeclampsia, breast cancer, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.”

What are the symptoms of heart disease?

Symptoms of heart disease can vary among men and women. “Many patients have what we call typical symptoms like pain in the chest or ‘an elephant sitting on the chest’, or trouble breathing with walking. Females tend to have some atypical symptoms like shortness of breath, excessive tightness, and maybe pain, not in the chest, but in the arm or hand. A female patient may say that she just doesn't feel right. This can shift the mind of a specialist from possible cardiovascular disease. That's why females are more likely to be misdiagnosed,” Dr. Shreyder explains.

What age group is most affected by heart disease?

“As with men, the age group among women most affected by heart disease is in the fifth and sixth decades of life. Throughout the lifespan, however, females can have specific heart problems. Some pregnancy-related cardiovascular issues include high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, or even preeclampsia. Middle-aged females may have issues such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, which happen more often in females. Occurrence of heart failure increases with age, and women of an older age are at greater risk of heart failure than men.”

How do you treat heart disease?

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, Dr. Shreyder recommends enlisting the help of your medical team. “It depends on the type of heart disease but, generally, the most important advice is to have a good and strong connection with a cardiologist and your primary care physician (PCP) to closely address all the issues related to your heart disease. Important steps include achieving a blood pressure goal, lowering cholesterol and exercising regularly to reduce the risks of progression of the cardiovascular disease,” she says.

What can a healthy person do to prevent heart disease?

“Build up good habits of eating less processed food and less fatty food, as well as lowering salt intake,” she advises. “Regular exercise is not just a good habit to make the body beautiful; it’s an important part of preventing cardiovascular problems in the future,” Dr. Shreyder notes.

Dr. Shreyder says that St. Clair Health is committed to providing women of the community with cardiovascular care. “As a female cardiologist, my interest lies in addressing the unique needs of women with a new initiative and vision to ensure that women of the community receive the full scope of cardiovascular care, including prevention, timely diagnoses, and excellent care.”

A native of Moscow, Dr. Shreyder received her medical training in Russia and worked as a physician there for 13 years before immigrating to the U.S. She completed her residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a fellowship at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Massachusetts. Dr. Shreyder is board-certified in cardiovascular medicine.

Dr. Shreyder sees patients at offices at the St. Clair Health Village Square Outpatient Center in Bethel Park, St. Clair Health Peters Township Outpatient Center in Canonsburg and Dunlap Family Outpatient Center in Mt. Lebanon. To make an appointment, please call 412-942-7900.

St. Clair Health has been recognized with a number of awards for its cardiac care and was named a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care for its best practices and standards of care. For more information, visit stclair.org/cardiology.