Heart Disease - What you should know

What is Heart Disease?


Heart disease includes a number of problems affecting the heart and the blood vessels in the heart. Types of heart disease include:

Coronary artery disease (CAD)is the most common type and is the leading cause of heart attacks. When you have CAD, your arteries become hard and narrow. Blood has a hard time getting to the heart, so the heart does not get all the blood it needs. CAD can lead to:

Angina(an-JEYE-nuh). Angina is chest pain or discomfort that happens when the heart does not get enough blood. It may feel like a pressing or squeezing pain, often in the chest, but sometimes the pain is in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It can also feel like indigestion (upset stomach). Angina is not a heart attack, but having angina means you are more likely to have a heart attack.

Heart attack. A heart attack occurs when an artery is severely or completely blocked, and the heart does not get the blood it needs for more than 20 minutes.

Heart failureoccurs when the heart is not able to pump blood through the body as well as it should. This means that other organs, which normally get blood from the heart, do not get enough blood. It does not mean that the heart stops. Signs of heart failure include:

*Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
*Swelling in feet, ankles, and legs
*Extreme tiredness
*Heart arrhythmias(uh-RITH-mee-uhz) are changes in the beat of the heart. Most people have felt dizzy, faint, out of breath or had chest pains at one time. These changes in heartbeat are harmless for most people. As you get older, you are more likely to have arrhythmias. Don't panic if you have a few flutters or if your heart races once in a while. If you have flutters and other symptoms such as dizziness or shortness of breath, call 911 right away.


Why women need to be concerned:

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women, but as a woman, even if you know that, you’re probably too busy most days to think about it. But you should think about it, because what you do each day in part determines your risk for developing cardiovascular disease and suffering its life-threatening consequences. Cardiovascular disease develops over time, affecting your body in ways you might not notice until it’s too late.


Statistics:

* More common than you may think
* More than 42 million women are currently living with some form of cardiovascular disease.
*More than 8 million women have a history of heart attack and/or angina.
*Five and a half million women will suffer angina.

* Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women over age 25, killing more than a third of them.
* 35.3% of deaths in American women over the age of 20, or more than 432,000, are caused by cardiovascular disease each year.
* More than 200,000 women die each year from heart attacks- five times as many women as breast cancer.
* More than 159,000 women die each year of congestive heart failure, accounting for 56.3% of all heart failure deaths.


How is Heart Disease Diagnosed?

Your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms, medical history and risk factors, and perform a physical exam.

Diagnostic tests, including blood tests, an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), cardiac catheterization and others may be performed to evaluate your condition. An exercise stress test, combined with heart imaging technology such as stress echocardiography or nuclear imaging, can help provide a more complete and accurate picture of a woman’s heart health. These tests help your doctor evaluate the extent of your heart disease, its effect on the function of your heart, and the best form of treatment for you.

Research into new testing procedures, such as coronary computed tomography angiogram (CTA), may change the way coronary artery disease is diagnosed in the future.

Tests used to predict increased risk for coronary artery disease include: C-reactive protein (CRP), complete lipid profile, and calcium score screening heart scan.


Heart Disease and PCOS:

A new study presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology shows that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) show higher levels of blood markers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) than control groups. These markers show up during a woman's earlier life, but might indicate a greater CVD risk in later life. This means that women with raised levels of these markers will, in later years, tend to have a higher rate of cardiovascular disease than is found in the general population.

According to Dr. Konstantinos Toulis:
"This analysis shows that increased levels of risk markers for cardiovascular disease are firmly associated with PCOS. PCOS is a difficult condition to study, because the range and severity of symptoms vary so much that it has been difficult to draw conclusions. Recently an expert panel1 reviewed the evidence and concluded that women with PCOS did seem to have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. This meta-analysis of biochemical markers shows that the CVD risk factors are present in earlier life, and that they seem to be independent of other factors which can lead to cardiovascular disease in later life, such as obesity. The association between CVD risk and CVD markers depends on the nature of the individual marker and the magnitude of the difference; this, plus the fact that there are several of these biochemical markers raised, is what makes this a potential warning."

In addition to this study, women with PCOS are often diagnosed with conditions that increase their predisposition for heart disease. High blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia), obesity, excess production of male hormones (hyperandrogenism), metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and diabetes all dramatically increase a woman's chances of developing heart disease. Women with PCOS who are prescribed oral contraceptives as a form of cycle regulation are also at a higher risk of having a heart attack and developing heart disease.


What can be done?

Coordinating with your health care provider to begin to manage your PCOS symptoms is critical to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Know your blood pressure. Years of high blood pressure can lead to heart disease. People with high blood pressure often have no symptoms, so have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years and get treatment if you need it.

Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. If you're having trouble quitting, there are products and programs that can help:

Nicotine patches and gums
Support groups
Programs to help you stop smoking
Ask your doctor or nurse for help.

Get tested for diabetes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose (often called blood sugar). People with high blood glucose often have no symptoms, so have your blood glucose checked regularly. Having diabetes raises your chances of getting heart disease. If you have diabetes, your doctor will decide if you need diabetes pills or insulin shots. Your doctor can also help you make a healthy eating and exercise plan.

Get your cholesterol and triglyceride levels tested. High blood cholesterol (koh-LESS-tur-ol) can clog your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood it needs. This can cause a heart attack. Triglycerides (treye-GLIH-suh-ryds) are a form of fat in your blood stream. High levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease in some people. People with high blood cholesterol or high blood triglycerides often have no symptoms, so have both levels checked regularly. If your levels are high, talk to your doctor about what you can do to lower them. You may be able to lower your both levels by eating better and exercising more. Your doctor may prescribe medication to help lower your cholesterol.

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight raises your risk for heart disease. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if you are at a healthy weight. Healthy food choices and physical activity are important to staying at a healthy weight:
Start by adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet.

Each week, aim to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink (one 12 ounce beer, one 5 ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of hard liquor) a day.

Find healthy ways to cope with stress. Lower your stress level by talking to your friends, exercising, or writing in a journal.



Resources can be found on our Forum post by clicking here.

National Women's Health Week

From www.womenshealth.gov:

National Women’s Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. It brings together communities, businesses, government, health organizations, and other groups in an effort to promote women’s health. The theme for 2012 is “It’s Your Time.” National Women’s Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. It also encourages women to take the following steps to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases:

• Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings.
• Get active.
• Eat healthy.
• Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.
• Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt or bicycle helmet

1in10 is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health to provide education and awareness for women's health.  We are committed not only to PCOS awareness, but to the health of women as a whole.

Stay tuned for updates and information this week, and learn how you can take better care of your whole self!

Mother's Day

When we're young, when we have that "moment" and notice our first menstrual cycle, we're told many things.  Whether it's, "You're a woman now!", "Let's talk about the birds and the bees...", or even if we're not told anything at all - one thing becomes increasingly evident.  From that moment on, we, as women, have an ability - a gift, if you will - that only we possess.  The ability to conceive a child and become a mother.  We're not told, "You may or may not be able to become a mother."  It's something that we, as women, assume that, whether we want to or not, we all have the ability to do.  We cherish the fact that this gift is given only to us.


To the mothers:

Thank you.  Thank you for the gift of life and for the irreplaceable bond that can never be broken. Thank you for the sacrifices, the tears and for never failing to believe in your children.  Thank you for the sleepless nights, the hugs, the band-aids, and for reassuring your children that there are NO monsters under their beds or in their closets.  Thank you for the cookies, the chicken soup, for cutting the crust off of the PB&J sandwiches and, yes, even for the bad haircuts.  Thank you for the talks, for just listening, and for never wavering in your love for your child when they say they hate you.  Thank you for standing by your child through puberty, for celebrating with them, for encouraging them, and for always pushing them to do their best.  Thank you for helping your child through life's ups and downs and for teaching them that, no matter what, no one will ever love them the way their Mom does.


To the "other mothers":

Some of us are not mothers by choice.  Some of us are not mothers because our lives simply led us down a path that did not include motherhood.  Some of us are not mothers despite every effort we've made to become one.  Whatever our reasons for being childless, remember this:  We, as women, are a source of life to the world.  We possess the ability to nurture others. So thank you.  Thank you for caring, for being a sister, a daughter, a grand daughter, an aunt, and a friend.  Thank you for being a confidant, for the late-night talks, the coffee dates and for being a positive role model.  Thank you for your nurturing nature - whether it be your dreams, yourself, your pets, or your loved ones, you do it with zeal and without shame.  Thank you for being the wonderful women that you are!

There is no substitute for motherhood for the women who want it so badly, yet seem unable to attain it.  Do not deny your grief.  Do not minimize your desire to give birth, or the pain you feel for being unable to do so.  But know this:  we are not defined by or confined by our situation.


This weekend, celebrate yourself.  Whether you have ever felt a child grow in your womb or not, you, as a woman, are a mother. Allow your desire for giving life to beat wildly and without shame.  When words come to the surface - words of anger, pain, anxiety, longing, anticipation, joy - share them somehow, with someone.  If you stay silent, the world will suffer for it.  If you hide your life because, somehow, it wasn't the one you had hoped for, the world will grieve for you.

Yes, it takes the DNA from a man and a woman to create a new life.  But we are the sex that carries and nurtures that life to fruition.  And, whether you are a mother now, whether you were a mother, whether you're trying to become a mother, or even if you don't feel the desire to become a mother, that's something to celebrate.

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