Myth # 1 - Heart disease is an old person's problem.
Heart disease comes in many forms such as an irregular heart beat, problem valve, or coronary artery disease. Symptoms vary but any age can be affected. The American Heart Association (AHA) now recommends as of 7/15/02, "risk factor screening" including a blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference and pulse recorded at least every two years and cholesterol profile and glucose testing at least every five years beginning at age 20. In addition the AHA recommend a "Global risk estimation" combining information from all existing risk factors to determine a person’s percentage risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. Multiple areas of slight risk can be more important than one area of very high risk. This estimation is recommended every five years for people age 40 or older or for anyone with two or more risk factors.
Providence Everett offers a $49 Healthy Heart Exam that meets the AHA guidelines without a physician referral. Participants also receive a personal risk reduction consultation. To schedule, click here.
Myth # 2 - Women have an innate protection against heart attacks.
As a rule, women have higher HDL ("good cholesterol") levels than men. The female sex hormone estrogen tends to raise HDL, which may help to explain why premenopausal women are usually protected from developing heart disease. Estrogen production is highest during the childbearing years. However, while it is true that women age 20 and over tend to have lower cholesterol levels than men of the same age, as they approach menopause, things change. LDL ("bad cholesterol") and total cholesterol levels in most women start to rise. Loss of estrogen appears to be a significant contributor to the risk of cardiovascular disease after menopause.
Myth # 3 - Women should be more concerned about other health problems, such as cancer or osteoporosis, than heart disease.
Cancer and other diseases and chronic conditions prevalent in women deserve research and attention. However, it's important to remember that cardiovascular disease ranks far ahead of them as a cause of death. Heart and blood vessel diseases kill almost twice as many females each year as all forms of cancer combined.
Myth # 4 - If a heart attack does not kill you, you'll recover and be fine.
It's true that more men have heart attacks than women and have them earlier in life. But women have lower chances of surviving them. Studies show that 44 percent of women die within a year compared with 27 percent of men. During the first six years following a heart attack, the rate of having a second attack is 31 percent for women compared with 23 percent for men.
Myth # 5 - Stroke is a force of nature that randomly hits without warning. There's nothing you can do to prevent it.
A lifetime's worth of bad habits can contribute to the risk of stroke (brain attack). You can reduce your risk of stroke by controlling high blood pressure, not smoking cigarettes, having regular medical check-ups and learning the warning signs of stroke so that you can get prompt medical attention should a brain attack occur. Immediate medical attention can often reduce the chance that the stroke is fatal or disabling.
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