Women Heart Disease

Heart disease in women doesn't get the attention of the general public as it
should. When we think of a victim of heart disease, our first thought is to
think of men. We do not usually associate it with women. Unfortunately heart
disease in both women and men is the leading killer in the United States. Women
have the same heart disease problems such as narrowing of the arteries that
transports oxygen to the heart, heart failure, inherited imperfection, diseases
of the heart muscles, and other conditions that men have. Each year there are
five hundred thousand women in America who die from heart diseases, and with age
the risks increase.

The Change of Life

The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center explains that menopause changes the risks of
heart disease in women. Post-menopausal women go through many changes in their
body. Some of these included changes in cholesterol levels, the body
manufactures less estrogen, there are differences in the composition of blood
vessels, and also an increased production of the clotting agent fibrinogen.

These changes have been associated with greater risk of heart disease in women,
yet it has not been determined exactly what amount of risk these changes
actually do have. Post-menopausal women are two to three times more susceptible
to heart diseases than a woman of the same age that is pre-menopausal; and women
(no matter their age) that have had a hysterectomy encounter the same raised
risk.

Previously when studies were done on heart disease in women, scientist
hypothesized that hormone replacement therapy could help post-menopausal women
to fight heart disease. The long-term study has not been able to confirm this;
therefore physicians are no longer recommending hormone replacement therapy to
fight heart disease. We cannot change menopause, however we can control some of
the other risk factors.

For women under the age of 35, the use of birth control with hormones is
considered safe, because at this time there is no proof if birth control
hormones increase or decrease problems associated with heart disease in women
(especially after the age of thirty-five). Discuss the risk factors of heart
disease with your family physician and see what their advice is concerning you.

A Change of Lifestyle

According to the National Institutes of Health fifty-six million women in
America have high cholesterol, 62% of women are overweight and 33% of women have
high blood pressure. Studies show that women are aware of what lifestyles are
linked with heart disease, yet the greater part still live the unhealthy
lifestyles and women are generally also less physically active than men.

Here are a few helpful guidelines to a healthier heart for both men and women.
Reduce the amount of fatty foods, have your cholesterol tested, maintain a
healthy weight, keep up regular exercises and activities and stop bad habits
such as smoking. You can significantly reduce your chances of heart disease.
Don't become just another number in the statistics. Heart disease in women is
very serious.