In the last twenty years, the number of heart attacks in 35-50 year-olds has increased in women but not in men.”
Despite multiple campaigns by advocacy groups, there is evidence that awareness of risk factors in women continues to lag behind that of men.
A recent study found that clinicians were more likely to encourage weight loss among women rather than discuss particular risk factors for coronary artery disease. Additionally, it was determined that more than 75 percent of women do not discuss heart disease, perhaps because of the stigma surrounding body weight.
While the abundance of information regarding women and heart disease may make you feel overwhelmed, remember: it is vital that we have poignant conversations with our health care providers regarding our risk for heart disease.
Dr. Bergh stresses the importance of knowing your risk factors for heart disease.
Important Risk Factors to Know:
1. Smoking: Simply put, this is devastating to the cardiovascular system over time, promoting the deposition of plaque and plaque instability. The unstable plaque often breaks free from the coronary arteries resulting in impaired blood flow and heart attacks. A heart attack patient who continues to smoke is 50 times more likely to have another event than a patient who stops.
2. Family History: Learn more about your immediate and distant family history. Focus on whether they have had heart disease or stroke and the age at which it occurred.
3. High Cholesterol: We are learning more and more about patterns of elevation. Sit down with your clinician and see what your complete cholesterol profile means for you.
4. High Blood Pressure: This is very problematic to the cardiovascular system. The good news, though: you can fool Mother Nature. As long as we control our blood pressure, whether, with medication or lifestyle changes, we should be free of the adverse consequences of uncontrolled hypertension.
Women have historically put their welfare on the back burner while caring for family and household needs. It is pivotal that ladies remember to be their own health care advocates.
Ultimately, the most powerful intervention we can each make to improve our heart health is to gather information and implement change. So the next time you’re in the doctor’s office, commit to being your own best advocate and engage in a specific conversation about your risk for heart disease.
Getting to the Heart of the Problem:
Heart health can be hard to navigate on your own. Be proactive about caring for your heart; start by finding the right physician at gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/physician.
You can also learn more about the heart specialists at Gwinnett Medical Center by visiting gmcheart.com.
