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Medical Practices & American Heart Month Increase Awareness

Posted by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis | Tue, Feb 23, 2016 @ 01:00 PM

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Heart disease is a silent killer that takes the lives of nearly one million Americans annually, states The Heart Foundation. February is American Heart month, and campaigns by The Heart Foundation, American Heart Association, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute are in full swing to raise awareness about cardiovascular and other heart related diseases. 

After discovering that the lives of nearly 500,000 American women were claimed by cardiovascular disease in 2004, the American Heart Association founded the Go Red For Women movement to empower women to take charge of their heart health and dispel myths that heart disease and strokes were predominantly men's diseases. Historically, physicals for women focused on breast cancer and gynecological screenings while testing for heart disease was done on men. Nevertheless, the association maintains that heart death rates among women still outpace those in men, and there are disparities in the symptoms and cause of heart disease between the genders.

As vital influencers on the living habits of individuals, physicians lead the communication on health with their patients and can dramatically influence the prevention, care and treatment of women's heart health issues. 

In an effort to provide health professionals with digestible and up-to-date information for their patients, and to inspire individuals to educate themselves on the disease, CrossCheck has accumulated the most recent facts and health tips on the signs, symptoms and prevention of heart disease. Share these recent facts and health tips to inspire patients, friends and colleagues to recognize the signs and actively work toward preventing heart disease.  

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What was once referred to as a "man's disease" has proven to be non-discriminate to all genders, ages and ethnicities. Notwithstanding, more women than men have died each year from heart disease since 1984 according to The Heart Foundation. Further statistics and factors about the cardiovascular health risks of women are detailed below.

Women & Heart Disease as noted by The Heart Foundation

  • Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.
  • While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, one in three dies of heart disease at the rate of one woman every minute.
  • Only one in five American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.
  • An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease.
  • 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
  • The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men and are often misunderstood.
  • Information on Women and Heart Disease highlights studies and associations focused solely on women's heart disease. 

Most Common Type of Heart Disease: Coronary (CHD)

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has broken down the most common form of heart disease: coronary heart disease (CHD).  

Two other types of heart disease include coronary microvascular disease (MVD) and broken heart syndrome, both of which have declined over recent years in men but not in women.

CHD can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort caused by plaque buildup in the arteries), heart attacks, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats), and sudden cardiac arrest. 

American Heart Association Health Facts about Women

  • Cardiovascular diseases and stroke cause one in three women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds.
  • An estimated 44 million women in the U.S. are affected by cardiovascular diseases.
  • 90% of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
  • Women have a higher lifetime risk of stroke than men.
  • 80% of heart disease and stroke events may be prevented by lifestyle changes and education.
  • Fewer women than men survive their first heart attack.
  • The symptoms of heart attack can be different in women vs. men and are often misunderstood – even by some physicians.
  • Women who are involved with the Go Red For Women movement live healthier lives.
  • When you get involved in supporting Go Red For Women by advocating, fundraising, and sharing your story, more lives are saved.

Hispanic Women

  • Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than Caucasian women.
  • Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for Hispanic women, killing nearly 21,000 annually.
  • Only 34% of Hispanic women know that heart disease is their greatest health risk.
  • Hispanic women are least likely to have a usual source of health medical care and only one in eight say their doctor has ever discussed their risk for heart disease.

African American Women

  • Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for African-American women, killing over 48,000 annually.
  • Only 36% of African-American women know that heart disease is their greatest health risk.
  • 48.3% of African-American women age 20 and older have cardiovascular disease, yet only 14% believe that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health problem.
  • Only about 50% of African-American women are aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

Some conditions and lifestyle choices increase a person's chance for heart disease, including diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking and excessive alcohol use.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), about half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three key risk factors: high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking. 

 

Identifying Symptoms from Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

While some women have no symptoms of heart disease, others may experience heavy sharp chest pain or discomfort, pain in the neck/jaw/throat, or pain in the upper abdomen or back. Sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a woman has signs or symptoms including:

  • Heart Attack: Chest pain or discomfort, upper back pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea/vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort and shortness of breath.
  • Arrhythmia: Fluttering feelings in the chest.
  • Heart Failure: Shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling of the feet/ankles/legs/abdomen.
  • Stroke: Sudden weakness, paralysis (inability to move) or numbness of the face/arms/legs, especially on one side of the body. Other symptoms may include confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech, difficulty seeing in one or both eyes, shortness of breath, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, loss of consciousness, or sudden and severe headache.

The CDC encourages men and women to learn the ABCs of heart health. Keep them in mind every day and especially when you talk to your health provider:

  • Appropriate aspirin therapy for those who need it
  • Blood pressure control
  • Cholesterol management
  • Smoking cessation

Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, being smoke-free, limiting alcohol use, and knowing your family history — these are a few pertinent things that one can do to lead a healthy lifestyle and protect themselves from heart disease.  

As a medical professional, it falls on your shoulders to educate women and men about the present risks at hand. Prevention is key in catching heart disease; identifying the primary risk factors and creating a health care regimen enables patients to be informed and actively take their health into their own hands. Providing an atmosphere for a healthy business, the foundation for which health check ups and care is given, means eliminating risk upon collecting payments from your patients. 

CrossCheck knows about protecting companies against risk and that's why we provide Check Guarantee. All businesses that accept checks put themselves on the line. Download our free guide to learn about how our check guarantee service can keep your business from dealing with returned checks and worrying about collecting payment, allowing more dedicated time to be spent on the people who matter most to you and your practice, your patients. 

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*Facts were provided by: The Heart Foundation, American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Topics: Medical

Written by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis

Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis is an Inbound Marketer at CrossCheck in Petaluma, CA.