Body and Soul

Health Ministry

In addition to February being recognized as Black History Month, the national health topic highlighted for the month is – Heart Disease in Women (Go Red). The following information from the American Heart Association is provided for your information. Please share this IMPORTANT information with your family, friends, co-workers and everyone you know.

Love your heart: Cardiovascular Disease in Women

All women face the threat of heart disease. But becoming aware of symptoms and risks unique to women, as well as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising, can help protect you.

While many people face some risk of cardiovascular disease at different points in their lives, some are more at risk because of to their gender, family history or heritage. The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease.

So it's a good idea to keep these factors in mind when you discuss your heart health with your doctor. Each one is a vitally important part of what makes you "you."

In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. It is also a leading cause of disability among women.

Women's health risk may be due to gender difference and gender bias

The most common warning sign of a heart attack in both men and women is chest discomfort - most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Women, however, are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Since women tend to have heart attacks later in life than men do, they often have other diseases (such as arthritis or osteoporosis) that can mask heart attack symptoms. Increased age and the more advanced stage of coronary heart disease in women can affect treatment options available to physicians. Increased age also can help explain women's greater mortality after heart attacks.

Women have to be their own best advocates, both at the doctor's office and in their everyday lives. Here are some ways to make your days healthier.

Tips for Daily Living

• Make small easy lifestyle changes
• Take the Go Red Heart Checkup at www.GoRedForWomen.org to learn your heart disease risk.
• Plan quick and simple healthy meals, eat healthy snacks visit ( www.americanheart.org ) for recipes, and use the online grocery list builder to quickly identify heart-healthy products to add to your grocery list.
• Drink plenty of water
• Reduce stress - plan a technology-free weekend balanced with active sports, swimming, skiing, horseback riding or other fun physical activities, read a book.
• Celebrate your successes with healthy rewards like a massage or facial.
• Set up "physical activity time" on a daily basis - go to the gym, use the stairs instead of the elevator, take 10-minute walks, exercise while watching your favorite TV show.
• Know your family heart health history.
• Keep a journal.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack for women?

The most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it's not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

• Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Unusual fatigue

These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a condition called small vessel heart disease.

What are the heart disease risk factors for women?

Although the traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease — such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity — affect women and men, other factors may play a bigger role in the development of heart disease in women. For example:

Metabolic syndrome — a combination of fat around your abdomen, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high triglycerides — has a greater impact on women than on men.

Mental stress and depression affect women's hearts more than men's.

Smoking is a greater risk factor for heart disease in women than in men.

Low levels of estrogen after menopause pose a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in the smaller blood vessels (small vessel heart disease).

Yours for Christ,