Heart disease is the leading killer of women over the age of 25. It kills nearly twice as many women in the US than all types of cancer combined, including breast cancer. If you’re surprised by these numbers you’re not alone. Only 13% of women believe heart disease is a threat to them. Worse, a recent survey showed that less than half the doctors thought of heart disease as a major threat to women, and less than half the women receiving regular medical care say that their doctors have ever talked to them about reducing their risk of heart disease.
This underestimation, by women and their doctors, of the very real and severe danger of heart disease is a primary contributor to the high death toll because in most cases, with adequate awareness, heart disease is preventable. This is worth repeating: the disease that kills more women in the US than all cancers combined is in most cases preventable.
Preventing heart disease depends completely upon first acknowledging its threat and then educating one’s self to the various risk factors which can include high cholesterol, blood pressure, estrogen levels, heredity, diet, and lifestyle. Does this list seem like too much to manage? It’s not at all. Most of the risk factors can be monitored through blood tests and all of the factors can be controlled by better, easy to follow, heart-healthy lifestyle habits.
It is also important to know that the symptoms of heart disease displayed by women are significantly different than those presented by men. Because they don’t display the “classic” symptoms of heart disease or a heart attack, women often go undiagnosed, or wait too long to seek medical help while having a heart attack. Knowing the warning signs is as important as knowing how to prevent the disease to begin with.
At The Center For Health Renewal we strongly believe in empowered patients and advise women to take charge for their health through awareness, early diagnosis, and lifestyle management.
The rise in CVDs reflects a significant change in diet habits, physical activity levels, and tobacco consumption worldwide as a result of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and food market globalization. People are consuming a more energy-dense, nutrient-poor diet and are less physically active. Imbalanced nutrition, reduced physical activity and increased tobacco consumption are the key lifestyle factors. High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight and obesity - and the chronic disease of type 2 diabetes - are among the major biological risk factors. Unhealthy dietary practices include the high consumption of saturated fats, salt and refined carbohydrates, as well as low consumption of fruit and vegetables. These risk factors tend to cluster.
Posted by: heart syndrome | November 27, 2009 at 10:29 AM