Heart Attacks in Women

Here are the stats for the average number of heart attacks among women every year:

Age 65 and older [352,000]
Ages 45 to 64 [74,000]
Under age 45 [9,000]

Total heart attacks among women for year [435,000]

Did you know that most people believe heart disease is mainly a man's disease? Not true. Cardiovascular disease does strike men about a decade earlier in life than women but once women reach age 50, their risk quickly climbs. Over a lifetime, two out of five women die of cardiovascular disease, making it the leading cause of death in women.

The Lifetime Risk... After age 40, the lifetime risk for developing coronary heart disease is 32% in women and 49% in men. As women age, the risk approaches almost that of men. Here are some stats that are mind-boggling (at least to me). Beginning at age 55, more women than men have high cholesterol levels. About 37 percent of women aged 45-54 have high blood pressure. More than 7 million women have been diagnosed with diabetes. Another 2.3 million have the disease and don't know it. After menopause, heart disease rates are 2-3 times higher. Why? It is because estrogen is believed to increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol). Estrogen also boosts levels of a chemical called tissue plasminogen activator, or TPA, which dissolves blood clots.

Did you know... For a 200-pound woman, losing just 6.5% (just 13 lbs) of her body weight can have a positive impact on heart health. Dropping just a few pounds, even if you are seriously overweight, will reduce your cardiovascular risk. Think on this... Eating a low-calorie diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and increasing your level of physical activity will lower your heart disease risk—even if you don't lose much weight. The American Heart Association (AHA) has established the following specific goals for women:

Blood pressure: less than 120/80 mm Hg
Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL
HDL (good) cholesterol: 50 mg/dL or higher
LDL (bad) cholesterol: range of less than 100 mg/dL to less than 160 mg/dL, depending on risk factors
Triglycerides: less than 150 mg/dL
Body mass index: less than 25
Waist circumference: less than 35 inches
Exercise: at least 30 minutes a day, all or most days of the week
Don't smoke
Eat a balanced diet
See your doctor regularly

As you can see you can turn this around in your favor. We don't have to go down this road. We can help keep these health issues from coming through that door and staying. I will be the first to admit that there are times you can't keep trouble from coming—but you don't have to offer it a comfortable chair to sit in.