WebMD has released the top five health concerns for women and I will admit some of them are surprising.  WebMD examined five medical conditions that are of great concern: heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and autoimmune diseases.

The two biggies on the list for me are Heart and Autoimmune Disease.

Heart Disease

Heart disease is responsible for about 29% of deaths in women.  According to Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women’s Health Network, “There are far too many women dying of heart disease in their 60s, when no one expects to die because that’s too young in this country,” says Pearson. “There are (also) women, who, for many years, are really ill with heart disease — being out of breath, not being able to walk up one flight of stairs … because heart disease impairs their ability to get around.”

The symptoms for women are typical and often missed by doctors and patients.  Many often think of symptoms like chest pain.  Though some may have that, other may experience what I experienced, jaw pain, shoulder ache, nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath.

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues. There are more than 80 serious chronic illnesses in this category, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes.

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), about 75% of autoimmune diseases occur in women. By themselves, each disease appears to be uncommon — except for diabetes, thyroid disease, and lupus — but as a group, the disorders make up the fourth-largest cause of disability among American women.

Why these two are biggies for me is 1) heart attacks in women are typically overlooked because our symptoms are not the pain radiating down an arm or wrist.  For some women the pain could be in their back, chin or jaw bone; and 2) autoimmune diseases are not well understood.  Symptoms are often nonspecific which can prolong or hamper proper diagnosis.  It is not uncommon for women (and men) to visit several doctors over many years before finally receiving a diagnosis.

In the article, Saralyn Mark, MD, offers the following piece of good advice:

Saralyn Mark, MD, encourages women to take charge of their health. She says women need to work in partnership with their doctors by finding out their family medical history, educating themselves on health issues, and paying attention to their bodies.

“You know what makes you feel good, you know when you don’t feel well. Understanding your body is key,” says Mark, senior medical adviser for the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

I would follow that advice and if your doctor is not paying attention to your concerns, change doctors.