Women's Heart Health
Coronary
Heart Disease - Not For Men Only
Not too many years ago when one thought about Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) it was to think
about how it would affect the "Man of the Family". In
fact, over 500,000 women die each year of CHD. The good news is that
CHD generally appears, on average, 10 years later in women than in men,
and women tend to have their first heart attack 20 years later in life
than men. The bad news,
however, is that the number one disease affecting women after
menopause is CHD.
Fortunately, you don't have to sit back and wait
to see if "catches up" with you. You can, and should, take
preventive steps today, no matter what your age, to fight off this disease
that would slow you down.
How can you fight back? The first step of your battle plan is to
know the enemy. There are several elements known as Risk Factors
that affect your chances of developing CHD. By knowing these factors
you can either eliminate them or counter-balance their effect.
Do you know the SIGNS of a
Heart Attack?
Vive
La' Difference
Why do women seem to have "protection" from
CHD? Why do
they only develop the signs and symptoms of heart disease and myocardial
infarction (heart attack) ten to twenty years later in life than
men? One of the hormones that "makes a woman a woman",
Estrogen, seems to afford women an extra measure of protection during
their reproductive years. The exact nature of this protection is
unknown, but estrogen has been shown to lower the blood levels of
cholesterol,
which is the basis of CHD.
As you read the sections on the
Risk
Factors for coronary heart disease note that several of these alter
this protective effect of estrogen, decreasing its ability to afford you
that little something extra that seems to buy you more time in your fight
against this number one enemy. For example cigarette smoking results
in an altered estrogen metabolism. And in spite of the fact that the
smoking rate appears to be actually decreasing in middle-aged men it's on
the upswing for women, especially teenage girls. Also of note is
that the risk of CHD is 2-3 times higher in overweight women, another good
reason to watch your diet and the scales.
Treatment
Obviously the best treatment for any problem is prevention. Remember
the old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure". Actually, it's worth a whole lot more when it comes to
your health. It means everything. Learn the Risk Factors, and
how they are involved in your own life and lifestyle. You can do
this by taking a careful of inventory of your own risk factors through the
Heart Test. If you have any of the
Controllable
Risk Factors it's up to you to begin controlling them now.
-
If you smoke, set your mind on
quitting. This has to be your choice. No one can
make this decision for you.
-
If you're overweight, ask your
doctor to help you find a diet plan that will get you started on the
road to eating in a healthier manner. Don't just grab a
"quick and dirty" diet from a friend or fad magazine.
You need a plan you like and can stick with.
-
Get regular exercise.
This will affect not only your heart, but also your entire
well-being. Regular exercise lowers the heart rate and blood
pressure and can increase the levels of your good cholesterol.
-
See your doctor. Your
personal physician can help you take stock of your risk factors and
help you design a plan tailored specifically for you. If you
don't yet have a personal physician, get one.
Medical
Treatment Available
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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