I attended a lecture at the ACSM conference that was given by Nanette K. Wenger M.D. She is the Chief of Cardiology at the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA. This lecture was a huge eye opener for me.
I knew cardiovascular disease was increasing in women, but I wasn't aware how fast it was increasing, how woman were being treated for the disease and several other facts and findings. I highlighted the main points below.
* Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of mortality (death) in adult women in the U.S. The old stats said 1 out of 4 women will die from heart disease and now we are looking at 1 out of 2 women. This is compared to 1 in 25 who will die from Breast Cancer.
* Even though cardiovascular disease is more prominent in women over 50, women under 50 who are diagnosed have a 3 times higher death rate than those over 50, There is on going research on why this is.
* Most women under 40 who go under bypass surgery are smokers. Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.
* Woman are treated differently when diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. For some reason they are under treated compared to men. In the E.R. women die two times more than men because they are not treated the same. Doctors need to be educated and treat women properly. Again this is a huge problem and needs to be addressed.
* Diabetes is a bigger disadvantage for women than men when diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
I don't know about you, but these facts were shocking to me. What most people don't understand is cardiovascular disease is, in most situations, PREVENTABLE. EXERCISE IS MEDICINE! Stop smoking! Exercising and eating heart healthy will decrease cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and many other components that contribute to cardiovascular disease. Talk to your friends. Pass on this blog. Let's get the word out, so we can stop this deadly disease.