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Women, Take Heart: What You Need to Know About Disease

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 May 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Camilla A. Herrera, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.

May 30--Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States.

Not cancer. Not even breast cancer.

"Many women still consider heart disease a man's disease," says Laurel Carey, a developmental psychologist and coordinator for the Center for Hope's new Hearts of Hope program in Darien, which offers cardiac rehabilitation counseling and seminars that cover female risk factors of heart disease and preventive strategies.

"So many women are surprised when they find out this is so common in women."

In a 2003 study of 200 women with diagnosed heart disease led by the Washington, D.C.-based National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease, about half admitted surprise when first diagnosed.

Only one-third had recognized the symptoms, while another third were initially diagnosed with anxiety or panic disorders or a menopause-related condition.

The American Heart Association says women are also less likely to survive a heart attack than men.

Why there is such lack of awareness baffles Carey, who is careful not to generalize, but she points out that women tend to internalize anger and manage stress differently than men. Couple that with the stresses of a job and a probable role as family caretaker and it is likely that women will overlook their own needs, including awareness about their heart health.

"They'll make sure to get an annual mammogram or a pap smear, but that's it. They'll make the doctors' appointments for the husbands and their kids, but not for themselves."

The solution may simply lie in getting the word out, much like the push to inform about HIV/AIDS and breast cancer educated the population and resulted in lobbying for research that continues to save lives.

To help drive the news home, the Center for Hope, now part of the Family Centers programs, is hosting "Hearts of Hope on the Sound," a four-part fund-raising luncheon series that begins June 8.

During the luncheons, which will support Hearts of Hope, Carey and other heart health experts will cover much of the information Carey shares during the educational seminars that are part of the program.

"Many women still don't know about the risk factors, what they are and what they mean, and what they can do to reduce them."

Many of the risk factors -- smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, weight, family history of heart disease, diabetes and physical inactivity -- are common for men as well, but the toll these specifically take on the female heart are covered in The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which Carey plans to distribute.

Other topics Carey will cover include typical symptoms, medications, tests and procedures, psychosocial issues associated with the disease, latest study information, how the female heart functions and differs from that of a man, typical stress responses, nutrition, exercise, and the importance of learning and understanding family history of heart disease and "their numbers."

Because a male bias on heart disease diagnosis still exists, women should insist on having their risk assessed by a doctor, says Carey.

"When it comes to cholesterol, women should know their HDL and LDL levels and what their ratio is -- I like to tell people that it's easy to remember that HDL stands for healthy and LDL for lousy."

Other numbers to understand include triglycerides, blood pressure, body mass index and blood sugar levels.

Armed with such information, steps can be taken, including quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol and fat intake, and exercising regularly to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

"We will cover the lifestyle choices, recipes and exercise tips they can make that will only help them and their children."

Children, too, are at risk for heart disease, says Carey, but if they are raised in a home where the risk factors are understood and measures are taken to reduce them, children will only benefit in the long run.

"Obesity has tripled in the last generation. Many children lead sedentary lives. Gym programs are being cut out of schools. The fast food. You can't get away from it."

Stress and depression, though not direct risk factors, are related to heart disease prevention and complicate recovery if there has been a heart event, says Carey.

Other related matters include alcohol consumption, sleep apnea, birth control pills and a new study from the Women's Health Initiative that reveals that hormone replacement therapy may not protect against heart disease as once believed.

"Women also present differently than men. They often have silent symptoms."

During a heart attack, many women may experience other symptoms than a crushing pain in the chest and left arm. A heart attack may begin with mild pain or discomfort, uncomfortable pressure, a feeling of squeezing or fullness, shortness of breath.

"You may feel pain the neck, the back or the stomach. Nausea, fatigue, a feeling of uneasiness."

The good news, Carey says, is more information can only help.

"It seems like a lot of complicated information but the intent is to educate women about what they need to know."

*

The Hearts of Hope on the Sound lunch series will be held June 8 and 28, and Sept. 13 and 28 in private homes on Long Island Sound. Tickets for the series are sold as a package for $500. For reservations and information about luncheon locations, call Gloria Veeder at 869-4848.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.

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