Women Underestimate Heart Disease Risks

Although Breast Cancer always rules the women's health spotlight in the media, women are much more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer. What people typically aren't aware of is that twice as many women die from heart disease than die from all cancers combined!

In Ireland, a survey of almost 1000 people were done. The results said that most men and women thought that breast cancer was the #1 killer of women. Wrong! In Ireland, in 2005, 678 women died of breast cancer and 2,225 women died of ischemic heart disease (cardiovascular disease).

“It is essential that the same emphasis is applied to the management of heart disease among women as is applied among men, and that women receive appropriate levels of care, in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease”, said Geraldine Luddy, director of the Women’s Health Council at the launch of the fact-sheet.

So the moral of this article is that although women should be aware of the risks, treatment and most importantly prevention aspects of breast cancer- and probably the same should go for men with regards to prostate cancer- Heart Disease is the big one for both men and women and one should keep that in mind when thinking of prevention methods and taking care of themselves.

Cardiologists Trying To Reach Women Heart Patients

Have you ever had a question that you wanted your cardiologist to answer, but had to wait 3 months until your next appointment? Or, you call your cardiologist wanting to ask a simple question, but you never get a call back?

Well, The Healthy Heart Women's Center in Centerville and a cardiology group in Dayton, Ohio has come up with a clever idea- "Walk with the Doc." Once a month, a cardiologist from Dayton Cardiology & Vascular Consultants organizes a one mile walk during which time he walks and talks with heart patients who choose to participate

Besides promoting a heart-healthy exercise, Hollon said the walks provide extraordinary access to ask doctors about symptoms, medications, nutrition — anything about heart problems. Hollon, 79 with mitral valve prolapse, walks every day anyway, but after a lifetime of hurried doctor's appointments, she considers the access priceless.

Sounds like a great idea. Cardiologists around the world should take note.

Besides promoting the "Walk with the Doc", the article also focuses on women's heart health issues. Here are some health facts on the heart for women:

But 42.7 million U.S. women have cardiovascular disease and 459,096 died of it in 2004, the last year for data. They outnumber men in both measures of the disease that costs $448.5 billion a year — $296.4 billion for medical care and $152.1 billion in lost productivity.

Also provided from the American Heart Association is a useful list of

Women's heart attack warning signs

• Unexplained weakness or fatigue
• Nausea
• Pain in the upper abdominal area instead of the mid-chest
• Pain in arms, jaw, neck or back
• Tingling or numbness in left arm
• Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
• Pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. The pain can be felt as squeezing, pressure or fullness
• Pain spreading from the chest to the shoulders, neck, jaws or arms
• Shortness of breath
• Cold or excessive sweating

Something for all of us to remember- heart disease isn't confined to men or women, it is something that can and has probably affected all of us in one way or another through family or friends who may have/had heart conditions. Prevention of heart disease (such as exercise and the food we eat) is something we should all think about on a daily basis as we get older as it can happen to any one of us.