Hot Topic: Women's Heart Health
Think heart disease can’t affect you? Think again. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. In fact, one in four American women dies of heart disease every year. In 2006 in the Coastal Health District (CHD) alone, 748 women died of cardiovascular disease.
February is American Heart Month and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is encouraging women to take a good look at themselves to determine their personal risk factors for heart disease.*
What is Heart Disease?
Coronary heart disease is the most common form of heart disease. Usually referred to simply as “heart disease,” it is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to a heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart.
It is important to realize that heart disease is a lifelong condition—once you get it, you’ll always have it. What’s more, the condition of your blood vessels will steadily worsen unless you make changes in your daily habits. That’s why it is so vital to take action now to prevent this disease.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease
Why does your lifestyle matter? It affects many of the “risk factors” for heart disease. Risk factors are conditions or habits that increase the chances of developing a disease or having it worsen. There are two types of heart disease risk factors—those you can’t change and those you can control. One risk factor that cannot be changed is a family history of early heart disease. Also, for women, age becomes a risk factor at 55. That’s because, after menopause, women are more apt to get heart disease. In part, this occurs because a woman’s production of estrogen drops. Also, middle age is a time when women tend to develop other risk factors for heart disease.
But many heart disease risk factors can be controlled by making changes in your lifestyle and, in some cases, by taking medication. According to NHLBI, risk factors that you can control include:
Smoking
Cigarette smoking greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as lung cancer and other serious diseases. There is simply no safe way to smoke. But the rewards of quitting are enormous. Just 1 year after you stop smoking, your heart disease risk will drop by more than half.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease. Usually, blood pressure is expressed as two numbers, such as 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). Blood pressure is considered “high” when it is 140/90 or above. But even prehypertension (120-139 over 80-89) raises your risk of heart disease.
High Blood Cholesterol
Cholesterol travels in the blood in packages called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often called “bad” cholesterol because too much LDL in your blood can lead to blockages in the arteries—and a possible heart attack. The higher your LDL number, the higher your risk of heart disease. (An LDL level of 160 or above is high; less than 100 is optimal.) Another type of cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as “good” cholesterol. That’s because HDL helps remove cholesterol from your blood. (An HDL level of less than 40 increases your risk for heart disease; 60 or higher is protective.) Another key number is your total cholesterol, which should be less than 200.
Overweight/Obesity
If you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to develop heart disease, even if you have no other risk factors. Overweight also increases the risks for stroke, congestive heart failure, gallbladder disease, diabetes, arthritis, and breathing problems, as well as breast, colon, and other cancers.
Physical Inactivity
Not getting regular physical activity increases your risk for heart disease, as well as other heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and overweight. And, for older women especially, physical inactivity increases the chances of developing osteoporosis, which in turn raises the risk of broken bones.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other diseases. The type of diabetes that adults most commonly develop is “type 2.” You are more likely to develop this disease if you are overweight (especially with extra weight around your middle), physically inactive, or have a family history of diabetes. Diabetes can be detected with a blood sugar test.
In observance of National Heart Month, several CHD Health Departments will hold heart disease educational events. The sessions will include an educational presentation, blood pressure checks, body mass index screens, and nutritional counseling. All events are free and open to the public.
The sessions are part of the Heart Truth campaign sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the campaign is to make women more aware of the dangers of heart disease. The Heart Truth campaign warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against risk factors.
(*Information provided by NHLBI).
The following Heart Truth events have been scheduled throughout the Coastal Health District for the month of February:
Friday, February 6
Bryan County Health Department – Pembroke (430 Ledford Street)
10 a.m. – noon
Bryan County Health Department – Richmond Hill (9665 Ford Ave.)
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 12*
Long County Health Department (57 N. Macon Street, Ludowici)
10 a.m. – noon
*Please RSVP by February 9 to 545-2107 Ext 233.
Friday, February 13
Chatham County Health Department (1395 Eisenhower Dr.)
10 a.m. – noon
Friday, February 13
Effingham County Health Department (802 Hwy. 119 South, Springfield)
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, February 20
McIntosh County Health Department (3510 Highway 57, Townsend)
10 a.m. – noon
WWW Address: http://www.gachd.org/hot-topic/womens_heart_health.php