Physician Newsletter Article
Women’s Risk of CVD Approaches 50% Like a silent stalker, the #1 killer of women over the age of 25 is cardiovascular disease (CVD), the documented assassin of about one American woman per minute according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Significantly, sixty-four percent of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms. “Some women present CVD with shortness of breath, back pain or fatigue. These symptoms are different than the classic chest pain presentation.” said Dr. [redacted], Director of the Cardiac Stress Lab of the [client name redacted]. “Primary care physicians need to know that it’s not unusual for a woman’s CVD to present differently than a man’s.” Complicating matters, according to Dr. [redacted], is that “women tend to ignore their symptoms or don’t know that cardiac symptoms can be different in women than men.” She recommends that women and their doctors become familiar with CVD facts published online by the American Heart Association at GoRedForWomen.org. AHA statistics on women and CVD show an average lifetime risk approaching 50%. Today, 34% of American women live with CVD. While this deadly disease is preventable, only 13 percent of women view heart disease as a health threat. Dr. [redacted] recommends that women at risk for heart disease adopt a therapeutic lifestyle while their health is monitored for positive change. If after three months no change is seen, cardiac diagnostics and statins may be the appropriate next step. According to Dr. [redacted], before the late 1980s the medical profession believed that heart attacks and CVD were primarily health risks for men. While it has since changed that view women, especially older women, tend not to consider themselves to be at risk. “Pre-menopausal women with diabetes and postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement tend to have the same risk of heart disease as men.” said Dr. [redacted]. The challenge for physicians is educating young, healthy women that their current habits for eating, exercise, and weight management can impact their risk for CVD after menopause. Evaluation of CVD risk in women is much the same as it is for men. Smoking, hypertension, elevated lipids, obesity, inactivity, diet, presence of diabetes and a family history of heart disease are key risk factors. Dr. [redacted] said that cardiologists pay close attention to the age at which a family member was diagnosed with CVD because studies show that age correlation of CVD between family members is not unusual. Cardiologists at the [redacted] Healthcare Network evaluate women’s risk for CVD using the same evidence-based clinical criteria used for men along with the Framingham global risk score. Dr. [redacted] noted that many [redacted] patients are older and therefore at greater risk for CVD. Studies have shown that Mexican-American, Latino and Korean women have a higher risk of CVD, and this is reflected in [redacted]’s cardiac patient demographics.
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Physician Newsletter Article
State-of-the-art cardiac medicine is practiced at [client name redacted]. The department has a full-time staff of 18 cardiologists, four fellows, and two interventional cardiologists. In addition to its electrophysiology, nuclear medicine, echo-cardiology, interventional and invasive cardiology programs, Dr. [redacted] noted that the department will be developing a peripheral vascular disease program. It is her hope that increased awareness and education about women’s high risk for developing CVD and access to the foremost diagnostic and treatment options available will help these [redacted] patients lead healthier lives. ###
SIDE BARS:
Are Your Women Patients at Risk for CVD? Physicians and other healthcare practitioners will find the most recent information about CVD risk in women at the American Heart Association’s GoRedForWomen.org, which also provides a web link to Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: 2007 Update. Circulation. 2007;115:1481-1501.
Fast Facts: Optimal Numbers for Women’s Heart Health Factor
Goal
Total Cholesterol
Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (“Bad”) Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol goals vary. Less than 100 mg/dL 100 to 129 mg/dL 130 to 159 mg/dL 160 to 189 mg/dL 190 mg/dL and above
Optimal Near Optimal/Above Optimal Borderline High High Very High
HDL (“Good”) Cholesterol
50 mg/dL or higher
Triglycerides
<150 mg/dL
Blood Pressure
<120/80 mmHg
Fasting Glucose
<100 mg/dL
Body Mass Index (BMI)
<25 Kg/m²
Waist Circumference
<35 inches
Exercise
Minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days of the week
Source: American Heart Association, Inc. Page 2 of 2