Heart Health Matters
It’s International Women’s Day Today 2020. Did you know there is even gender inequality when it comes to coronary heart disease?
Can you guess what the leading cause of death among women is? Scary but true.
Research done by the British Heart Foundation reveals a surprising statistic: coronary heart disease kills twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK.
According to Harvard Medical School, within a year of a first heart attack, survival rates are lower in women than in men. Within five years, 47% of the women may die, develop heart failure, or suffer from a stroke – compared with only 36% of the men who have suffered a first heart attack.
Understand the Signs and Take action. Your Life or Someone You Know Could Be at Stake!
- chest pain or discomfort that happens suddenly and persists, like pressure, tightness or squeezing
- pain can then spread to the left or right arm or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach
- sickness, sweating, light-headedness or shortness of breath
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea
- sudden anxiety similar to that of a panic attack
- excessive coughing or wheezing
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
Even when the signs are subtle, the consequences can be deadly, especially if the victim doesn’t get help right away.
‘I thought I had the flu’
Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.
“They do this because they are scared and because they put their families first,” Goldberg said. “There are still many women who are shocked that they could be having a heart attack.
A heart attack strikes someone about every 43 seconds. It occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. This happens because the arteries that supply the heart with blood can slowly narrow from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances (plaque).
Watch an animation of a heart attack
A decline in the natural hormone estrogen may be a factor in heart disease increase among post-menopausal women. Estrogen is believed to have a positive effect on the inner layer of artery wall, helping to keep blood vessels flexible. That means they can relax and expand to accommodate blood flow.
Another great resource is https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/consumer-healthcare/what-is-cardiovascular-disease/menopause-and-heart-disease
Preventing heart disease..
It’s important to educate yourself and to take measures now.
1- Don’t Smoke!
2- Keep a health weight
3- Reduce stress!
4-Eat right- Choose healthy food and beverages
5- Exercise (move your body)
I thought it was important to share this topic because knowledge is power, especially on International Women’s Day. We need to look out for one another.
