Monthly Archives: February 2014

Heart Disease in Men, Heart Health, Women's Heart Disease

LOVE YOUR HEART

Leave a comment

Your Heart – Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men and Children

Kindle e-book $2.99   http://tinyurl.com/kindle-heart-sale          

Paperback $9.99  https://www.createspace.com/4330606

For the entire month of February, Your Heart is offered at sale rates.

American Heart Month is a perfect time to raise awareness and explore reversible risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Know your health history and address factors that can be modified to improve heart health:

♥ Tobacco use and cessation

♥ High blood pressure identification and treatment

♥ Cholesterol abnormalities paired with dietary modification and statin use when needed

♥ Obesity and diabetes with recommendations for normalizing weight and glucose

♥ Low activity levels counteracted with exercise prescriptions

♥ Alcohol consumption history and limitation of use

♥ Heredity factors and recommended interventions

Heart risk factors are within your ability to control. Make this the month you evaluate your personal risks and take action to reduce them. With the right knowledge and actions, the number one cause of death in women and men is preventable.

Book Excerpt:

Why is coronary artery disease the leading cause of death?

Atherosclerosis is a disease of affluence. In developed countries throughout the world where food is plentiful, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death. We eat, not only because we feel hungry, we eat to pass time, we eat for enjoyment, and we munch mindlessly at social events. The fact is, we eat too much and it’s making us sick.

Coronary artery disease is tied to obesity. Food choices, portion sizes and exercise interplay, but the disease is more complex than any of these factors.

Statistics are boring to read and don’t mean much when they are without a face. But consider the fact that 50% of all people have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoke; all three factors cause heart disease. Many of us personally know someone with these problems. Is it you? A loved one? You have the ability to make healthy choices and improve your health by treating these factors.

Part of the high death rate from heart disease is due to a lack of education about the cause and what can be done to fight it. But even knowing sound health practices, many people do not follow them. In recent years, there has been a reduction in heart deaths through improved treatment, education and reduction of risk factors, but coronary artery disease still remains the leading cause of death.

Two programs to address education, diagnosis and treatment are: the Million Hearts initiative, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, with a goal to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes by 2017; and the WISEWOMAN program, administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heart disease is a huge problem in developed countries around the world, including the United States. The Million Hearts program joined with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Heart Association and other organizations. Together they share strategies to reduce heart risk factors and save lives. Information from these organizations is available for education programs to implement change.

At 21 US sites, the WISEWOMAN project provides a screening and evaluation program to help women obtain healthcare when they have little or no insurance. Examinations, laboratory tests and education to lower risks are included.

Diabetes, overweight, poor diet choices, low physical activity and excess alcohol are all issues placing people at risk. If any of these affect you, take control, read more, learn more and make heart healthy changes. Don’t become a statistic. Take action. Choose to reduce your personal risk factors.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50% of men and 64% of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.

Katie, a registered nurse who believed she was healthy, working full time in a hospital but having difficulty with an arthritic knee finally decided to see an orthopedist. He recommended a total knee replacement procedure. As part of her preoperative evaluation, her primary physician evaluated her and performed an electrocardiogram. The electrical tracing of her heart conduction and rhythm was abnormal, indicating ischemia. A special nuclear medicine test of her heart showed marked reduction of circulation in the heart muscle. Katie went directly to the heart cath lab where two main coronary arteries were found to be more than 90% blocked by cholesterol plaques. The cardiologist dilated and stented both arteries. The orthopedic surgery had to be placed on hold. — Katie denies ever having any symptoms related to her heart.

Many people are aware that high cholesterol is associated with heart attacks, yet have never had a cholesterol blood test done. Because they have no symptoms, they can’t believe they might be a candidate for a heart attack. The more you know how lifestyle, food choices and heredity factors impact heart health, the more equipped you will be to make healthy choices and obtain proper healthcare. This section provides more information on risk factors.

 Thanks for stopping by. We hope 2014 will be a healthy and happy year for you.

Betty and Bev

Heart Health, Women's Heart Disease

HEART DISEASE IN WOMEN

Leave a comment

Go Red for Women – Wear Red on February 7th

In 2003, the American Heart Association began National Wear Red Day®. With so many women dying each year from heart disease, this movement was formed to bring attention to the problem. Their goal was to educate women and reduce this statistic.

 For the past ten years, each February, the Go Red for Women events have raised awareness and helped women make strides against heart disease. Fewer women are dying from coronary artery disease now, but it still remains the number one threat.

 In support of women’s heart health, Lipstick Logic is providing free excerpts and a sale on our book for the month of February.

 This is a perfect gift for yourself and those you love.

Your Heart – Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men and Children

Kindle e-book $2.99   http://tinyurl.com/kindle-heart-sale          

Paperback $9.99  https://www.createspace.com/4330606

  Your Heart Book Cover- Final FINAL

 Chapter 5

Female Heart Disease

Women and Heart Disease

Many women do not realize they are at high risk for heart disease and early death. Under age 50, heart attacks in women are twice as likely to be fatal as in men. Each year more than 250,000 women die of heart attacks. Six times the number of women die from heart disease than from breast cancer. Many factors weigh into these statistics including hormones.

♥ Research reported in the National Institutes of Health bulletin, The Heart Truth for Women, states that by leading a healthy lifestyle, women can lower risks by 82%. You are in charge. This means: regular exercise, healthy weight and not smoking. Also take medications to control other risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. What you choose to do and what you eat can improve health and prolong life.

Coronary Microvascular Disease

Early in life, male and female hearts look alike and act the same. With aging, gender differences in disease processes become apparent and contribute to misdiagnosis in women. Men typically develop arterial heart disease that narrows large coronary arteries on the heart surface. Women have the same type of large vessel disease as men, but are also prone to coronary microvascular disease — a problem involving the small vessels called arterioles.

Possibly triggered by inflammatory disorders, coronary arterioles in women become stiff and unable to supply adequate oxygen to the heart muscle. Chest discomfort and other symptoms more subtle are often associated with increased activity. Microvascular disease increases your risk for heart attack and sudden death.

A number of health problems cause inflammation including high blood glucose, smoking and chronic infection that also affect men. Additional factors in women are: poorly controlled premenopausal hypertension, anemia and autoimmune disorders*. All of these problems may contribute to developing coronary microvascular disease. However, the cause of this disease is unknown. The Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation study (the WISE study) provided extensive information for the disorder. Some researchers believe estrogen reduction is a related. Anyone can develop coronary microvascular disease, but inflammatory disorders appear to be a prominent factor and they are more common in women.

Special tests are required to diagnose coronary microvascular disease. Advanced disease may be present, placing the person at risk, yet a coronary angiogram — the best diagnostic evaluation for large coronary arteries — can be normal. If the clinical suspicion for heart disease is high and the angiogram is normal, a “Stress-Echo” is usually recommended to evaluate for microvascular disease.

Coronary microvascular disease cannot be treated with stents or a bypass, but medications and lifestyle changes are beneficial and life-prolonging. Treatment is similar to that used in large vessel coronary disease:

● Statins to lower cholesterol

● Low dose aspirin to inhibit platelets

● Nitroglycerine to relax and dilate arterioles to improve blood flow and treat chest discomfort

● ACE inhibitors to lower blood pressure

● Beta blockers to lower heart rate and reduce heart stress

● Heart healthy diet, daily exercise, no smoking, weight loss

Note: Autoimmune diseases occur when the body produces harmful antibodies against itself. Examples: Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, some thyroid diseases and many others.

More life-saving information like this can be found in Your Heart: Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease in Women, Men & Children

Thanks for stopping by.

Betty Kuffel, MD

Bev Erickson Co-author/Artist/Cover art