The American Heart Association asked everyone to Go RED for Women on Feb. 4. to create awareness for women and heart disease, and heart patients are even celebrating Cardiac Rehab and Cardiovascular Professional's Week. Feb. 13-19. If you know someone with cardiac problems, you know why the heart is such an important organ - it's the reason roughly 940 million people in the U.S. die each year.
Heart disease is the number one killer of American men and women, no matter what race or ethnicity. We've known for years that men are at a higher risk for having a heart attack. According to an American Heart Association survey, only 13 percent of women consider cardiovascular disease their greatest health risk. The truth is nearly half a million women die every year because of cardiovascular disease, that's about a death a minute. Based on data from a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute study. 64 percent of women who died suddenly of heart disease had no previous recognizable symptoms.
Women's symptoms are often different than the classic symptoms that many men experience, such as heavy, tight, or squeezing pressure in the chest and discomfort in the shoulders, arms, jaw or upper back. Women may experience these symptoms or may just feel short of breath, or have unexplained weakness, fatigue or anxiety. Dizziness, nausea or cold sweats may also be experienced. It's important to call 911 if these symptoms last for more than a few minutes! The good news is that heart disease is largely caused by preventable or controllable conditions: obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, inactive lifestyle, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Making simple adjustments to improve lifestyle can reduce the risk - follow a healthy eating plan, and increase physical activity to at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Doing these two things will help to lower weight and blood pressure, improve cholesterol numbers and better manage diabetes. And stop smoking! Help is available from your primary care physician and local smoking cessation classes. Gettysburg Hospital's Women's Heart Program centers on the unique needs of women's heart care.
The program provides a coronary risk profile, or blood screening which includes a woman's total cholesterol, good cholesterol (HDL), bad cholesterol (LDL), and triglycerides. Prevention and educational services are available to those women interested in identifying their specific risks and having an individualized plan of care designed to prevent a first heart attack, or to discourage further progression of existing heart disease.
The hospital also has a nationally certified cardiac rehabilitation program for those who have recently experienced a heart attack or heart surgery. Don't become another statistic, check with your physician about your risk for heart disease or call the Women's Heart Program to schedule a consult at (717) 337-4164. Patti Meyer, RN, is a nurse educator for the Women's Heart Program at Gettysburg Hospital and cardiac rehabilitation services.
