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It is often considered a man's disease, because many men do have heart attacks and sometimes die from them in their prime. Although women do have only slightly more heart attacks them men, however, a woman is twice as likely as a man to die from heart disease and six times more likely to die from a heart attack than breast cancer. Many of those deaths could be prevented through exercise, good diet and other means.
A woman have a heart attck at any age, but is most likely to have heart disease after 65. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, 500,000 women die annually from heart attacks and strokes.
Women are less likely to have symptoms of heart disease than men and less likely to seek immediate attention, thus increasing their chances of death or permanent damage. "Clog busting" drugs, angioplasty (using a ballon to open blocked arteries), and bypass surgery, though effective in women, have also shown a greater risk of complications.
Tests to determine if a person has a heart condition, such as a treadmill test, have often been designed with a man in mind and are often less effective in women. They often need to be supplemented with imaging, such as echocardiography (ultrasound).
There is good news, however, because much can be done to prevent heart attacks. A woman can reduce her risk of heart attacks through a good diet, exercise, losing weight it necessary, controlling blood pressure and cholestorol, quitting smoking and avoiding drugs.
It isn't necessary to run a marathon either. A person can reduce the risk of heart attacks by four times a week, doing aerobics such as: walking; swimming; bicycling or running.
Scientists know that asprins can help prevent heart attacks in people that already have heart disease. Some believe they may help prevent heart disease in healthy people. Nobody should take asprins for that purpose without talking to a doctor first, because they can cause ulcers or other complications in some people.
According to the article, a dose of asprin between a baby asprin of 81mg. and an every other day asprin of 325mg can be helpful in women over 50.
According to the March 14 issue of Circulation: A Journal of the American Heart Associaton, only 26% of people who could have benefited from taking asprins to avoid a heart condition did so.
"That was much lower than what we might have expected," said Dr. Randall Stafford, PHD, author of the study, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medicine School. "It shouldn't be 100%, because not everyone can take asprin without complications, but it should be more than 26%. Physicians may not be paying adequate attention to this important prevention strategy."
A woman who smokes is three times more likely to have a heart attack as a non-smoker. While less men are smoking, the rate of women smoking has increased, especially among teenage girls.
According to a public interest website, 80% of heart disease could be prevented through a good diet. A diet to avoid heart disease should include lots of fruit, vegetables, brown rice and whole grains. A daily dose of multivitamins can help as well.
According to the Franklin Institute Online, a diet should include: no more than six ounces daily of lean meat, fish or skinless poultry; main dishes with pasta, beans and/or vegetables only or with low amounts of meat; 5-8 daily servings of fat or oils, which may be used in cooking, baking or salad dressing; 5 or more daily servings of fruit and vegetables and 3-4 egg yolks a week, which may be used in cooking.
A person should limit intake of organ meats such as liver, heart or brains.
Some healthy methods of cooking include boiling, baking, roasting, poaching, steaming, sauting, and microwaving.
Not only is a woman who smokes three times more likely than a non-smoker to have heart disease, but a woman who smokes and takes the pill is 39 times as likely.
It is also good to watch for the warning signs of heart disease, because although they can include chest pains, they don't always. It is especially good to watch for warning signs, because even doctors and hospitals sometimes miss the signs and a person who has had a heart attack is sent home from the hospital.
The lack of blood flow from heart disease can cause not only chest pains, but also pain in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw , teeth, back and stomach. This may especially be noticed during physical activity.
According to the website of the Medical College of Wisconsin, a study of 10 hospitals showed, people are more likely to be wrongly sent home after a heart attack if they are younger women, minorities, people with no chest pain or who did not have an EKG.
"This study has identified important areas for improvement, including a profile of a patient that is at a high risk for missed diagnosis," Tom Aufderheide, MD. associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin said.
Of the 7 million people who annually go to the hospital for chest pain, 80% do not require hospitilization. Of the remaining 20% who either had a heart attack or unstable angina pectoris, which can lead to a heart attack, a misdiagnosis could be deadly.
According to the website, 2.1 % of the patients sent home had actually had a heart attack or unstable agina pectoris. That amounted to 26,000 patients. Since the study one hospital has instituted new diagnostic testing.
Heart disease can be deadly for men and women, especially women. Much can be done to prevent heart disease, however, through taking simple prevetion steps.
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