Lesson in heart health vital to women too

February is American Heart Month and more particularly a month during which the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” initiative strives to promote heart disease education for women. I encourage every woman who reads this column to visit the AHA’s website for what could be lifesaving information about women and cardiovascular disease.

In the meantime, my crash course in heart disease occurred last year, and here I will recap the information I shared last year in this space from cardiologist Dr. Robert T. Martin.

Martin said until the mid-70s, most heart disease studies had been done in men, so the stereotype heart attack symptom was the crushing chest pain that radiated to the shoulder and arms and up the neck. But he further noted, the last 20 years was a learning process that established the symptoms in women can be completely different than the male stereotype.

“They [symptoms] may be as subtle as some discomfort in their jaw and neck or just present as nausea; a sweaty, clammy feeling; just as fatigue or shortness of breath; or just not feeling right. It can feel like indigestion. I have a lady that’s a few years younger than me, 45-years-old, and she’s been increasing her medication for re ux and taking more over-the-counter preparations for gas. And it was her heart the whole time,” Martin said.

Noting that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women, Martin said, “Time is of the essence for getting the word out. It’s a message we need to get out, and we need to get it out rapidly. The message is that there are risk factors that predispose you for coronary artery disease, there are symptoms and if we target on these risk factors – who’s at risk and the subtle symptoms that can be present in women, then maybe we can impact that number and maybe we can do something to save someone.”

Typically, Martin said, there are eight risk factors:

• being a man or post-menopausal woman,

• being over the age of 55 in women (45 in men),

• having high blood pressure,

• having diabetes,

• having elevated cholesterol,

• having a smoking history,

• having a family history of heart disease, and

• being over an ideal body weight by 30-plus pounds.

Martin pointed out the risk factors that can’t be changed such as gender, age and genetics. But he also discussed things women (and men) can change.

“You’ve got to know your numbers,” Martin said, emphasizing the importance of blood pressure and cholesterol numbers.

Martin’s women’s heart health crash course was helpful to me in understanding how I ended up having heart surgery, but if I’d sought out that information earlier, I might have avoided a most unpleasant experience and some worry for the future. I urge women of all ages to learn about heart disease in women and forego my experience.

And one more thing: I smoked for years but utterly lost the urge to light up after my experience. I won’t presume to tell anyone to stop smoking, but instead I’ll offer a couple of benefits I’ve enjoyed in the last year as a result of not smoking.

First, of course, is the money saved.

I smoked the most expensive brand around and over the last year have saved approximately $2,500. Next, I’ve saved a bunch of time by not having to look for a place outside to smoke, and I promise that the cup of coffee or glass of wine tastes even better without the smoke. Finally, I just never get tired of hearing my husband tell me how good I smell.

Marty Carlson, a freelance writer, has been covering local news for the past 13 years. She can be reached via email at m_carlso@bellsouth.net.