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Conversation from the heart: Women face major health threat from cardiovascular disease

5 min read
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Courtesy of MetroCreative

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, according to the American Heart Association.

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Dr. Radhakrishnan

Many believe cancer is the leading cause of death among women, but that would be wrong.

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of women and claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Yet a recent AHA survey also found only 44% of women are aware of this fact, a significant decrease from 65% recorded in 2009. To help raise awareness and inform women about what they can do to cut their risk of cardiovascular disease, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) teamed up with the local AHA chapter last week for the “Go Red For Women” a virtual event.

February marks American Heart Month and Dr. Anita Radhakrishnan, attending cardiologist at the AHN Women’s Heart Center, served as a key panelist during the Feb. 5 virtual event, “A Conversation from the Heart,” hosted by the AHA.

One important issue she discussed was the gap in awareness and treatment of heart issues in communities of color. The AHA said recent market research has indicated the youngest, most diverse women are the least aware cardiovascular disease is their greatest health threat.

“People still think it’s breast cancer or some form of cancer,” Radhakrishnan said. “The paper was very interesting in that it picked up that we specifically have to try to educate the non-Caucasian, African American and Hispanic women because they were the ones that really were not aware. It was also the younger people between the age of 30 and 50 that were not aware.”

Women who are more aware, she said, are showing up and getting screened for possible heart issues.

Risk in younger women

Heart disease doesn’t just affect women as they get older. One advance warning sign a woman may develop cardiovascular issues later in life actually comes during child-bearing years. During pregnancy, the cardiovascular system has to adapt to accommodate the additional needs of the growing fetus and that leads to increased blood volume and heart rate.

That can be seen as a stress test of overall cardiovascular health.

“Pregnant women who would develop preeclampsia (high blood pressure), gestational diabetes or any placental problems during pregnancy are at increased risk of heart disease in the future,” Radhakrishnan said.

Women with autoimmune diseases and cancer patients who get radiation and chemotherapy are all at increased risk or heart disease in the future. Early menopause – before age 40 and 50 – also raises your risk.

“So these are some new populations more than the usual high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes,” she said. “If you are one of this group, you should be seeing a cardiologist within three months to be screened for heart disease because you do have some enhanced risk factors that men don’t.”

What is heart disease?

Heart disease is an umbrella term that covers many ailments. The most common cause of mortality is heart attack and coronary artery disease which is when there is a blockage of blood to the heart muscle. The term also covers congestive heart failure, valve dysfunction, arrhythmias and congenital heart diseases.

“Coronary artery disease is the one that we have a lot of data on to show that it’s preventable, that if we do the right things, that if we take care of ourselves, well, we can prevent a heart attack,” Radhakrishnan said. “And that’s been the big focus in terms of educating patients. You know, there’s a lot of things you can’t control. You can’t control if you have a genetic problem, but coronary artery disease for the most part is preventable.”

How do we do that? The number one tips are diet and exercise.

Radhakrishnan recommended a heart healthy diet based on a Mediterranean-style diet including olive oil, lean meats and lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. She said women should cut down on refined carbohydrates, red meat and sweetened and processed foods.

When it comes to exercise, the American Heart Association recommends either vigorous exercise such as running or or aerobics three times a week or 30 minutes of moderate exercise such as a fast walk, swimming or yoga five days per week. Smokers should work with a doctor to quit since that is a huge risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

Radhakrishnan said women should also work to reduce stress.

A recent AHA study examined psychosocial stressors and how that affects heart disease.

“They found that people who have a lot of psychosocial stress find coping mechanisms that are unhealthy for them,” she said. “You tend to eat worse, not exercise, you tend to neglect yourself, you tend to abandon yourself and you don’t process emotion. There’s a lot of things that add up that actually worsens the stress altogether.”

Finally, women should know their numbers when it comes to cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index since all are contributing factors in the risk of heart disease.

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