Women and Heart Disease
All too often women
don’t realize they are suffering from a
heart attack until it’s too late. More women
die of cardiovascular disease than from the
next four causes of death including all
forms of cancer.
Approximately 80
percent of cardiac events in women could be
prevented through diet, exercise and
abstinence from smoking, according to the
American Heart Association.
American
Heart Month kicks off on February 1.
When thinking of heart disease
prevention remember your ABCS:
•
Appropriate aspirin therapy.
• Blood
pressure control.
• Cholesterol control.
• Smoking cessation.
Heart disease
can be prevented by making healthy lifestyle
changes that include quitting smoking,
exercising daily, and eating less salt,
trans and saturated fat and cholesterol in
favor of more fruits and vegetables.
If you have special dietary needs, ask your
local health department in Somerset or
Worcester about available nutrition
counseling. Free blood pressure
measurements, education, screening and
follow-up are available to residents who
meet certain requirements. Free smoking
cessation classes are offered at each of the
local health departments.
A number
of other healthy initiatives are also
available at the Worcester County Health
Department including Lifestyle Balance,
Lunch Time Fitness and Just Walk. Wicomico
County has the County Executive’s Council on
Physical Fitness and Healthy Living. This
council promotes the many ongoing health
efforts in the county. More information
about the council is available at
http://www.wicomicocounty.org/departments/fitness_council/mission_statement.asp.
Local health officials also
recommend that people, especially women,
become familiar with the signs and symptoms
of a heart attack. Signs of a heart attack
include:
1. Uncomfortable pressure,
squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of
your chest that lasts more than a few
minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the
back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness
of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a
cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5.
As with men, women’s most common heart
attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort,
but women are somewhat more likely than men
to experience some of the other common
symptoms, particularly shortness of breath,
nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, call
9-1-1 immediately for help and medical
attention.
For more information about
heart disease prevention or local heart
disease awareness events and activities in
February, as well as programs held
throughout the year, please contact your
local health department.
• Somerset:
443-523-1760
• Wicomico: 410-334-3480
• Worcester: 410-632-0056
*This
is a monthly column produced by staff from
the Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester County
health departments.
