 |
 |
|
 |
||
          | ||
|
Cardiovascular Disease: Women at Risk When Erica, a 35-year-old mother of one, visited the Emergency Department (E.D.) on a Sunday afternoon, she thought she was experiencing “the worst case of the flu I’d ever had. I was dizzy, felt weak and nauseous, and had pain in my upper back that I thought might be the beginning of pneumonia. But when the E.D. doctor told me I was having a heart attack, it was the shock of my life! I actually asked her if she was joking; unfortunately, she wasn’t.” Fortunately for Erica, her symptoms led her to the E.D. and rapid treatment for myocardial infarction (heart attack) that helped minimize permanent damage to her heart muscle. Five years later, she’s active, healthy and aware of women’s risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) – something that sets her apart from many women her age. (Cardiovascular diseases include coronary artery disease [CAD], stroke, heart valve disease, high blood pressure [hypertension] congestive heart failure, and heart rhythm disturbances [arrhythmia]). According to Mary Lou Cohen, RN, Supervisor of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at Providence Little Company of Mary Outpatient Care Center in Redondo Beach, many women are unaware that CVD is the leading killer of women in the United States. Each year nearly 500,000 women have heart attacks, resulting in more than 370,000 women dying of CVD. “For many women, breast cancer and reproductive cancers are their greatest health fears,” said Cohen. “They don’t realize that their risk of CVD is much higher, especially as they age.” In fact, 1 out of 9 women between 45 and 64 have CVD; a figure that rises to 1 out of 3 aged 64 and older. Worse yet, women are significantly more likely to die from a heart attack than men, often because they don’t recognize their symptoms as those of a heart attack and don’t seek treatment rapidly enough. Instead of crushing chest pain and pressure, women may experience waves of nausea or indigestion-like symptoms; chest discomfort that comes and goes; shortness of breath with stress or exertion; shortness of breath even without exertion; general fatigue or weakness; or shoulder, upper back, neck, throat or upper abdominal pain. While all of these symptoms can have many other causes, women should consult their doctors without delay if they are experiencing possible symptoms of a heart attack. Continue » |
|
|
© Providence Little Company of Mary. All rights reserved. |
|