Dr Karla Kurrelmeyer at the Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center
in Houston
recommends a few heart healthy tips for women to prevent and manage heart
disease.
- The
most important thing is to stay to as physically fit as possible. Every
woman should work exercise into her lifestyle, find something she can
enjoy doing, and do it regularly and often.
- In
addition to exercising, every woman should follow the Mediterranean diet,
which is high in fish and fresh vegetables, and low in processed
carbohydrates.
- Get
your cholesterol checked, especially if there is a family history of heart
disease or stroke. At age 20 women are seeing their OB/gynecologists who
perform blood pressure checks, fasting lipid panels and fasting sugars.
Even young women should pay attention to these numbers and be on alert if
any are out of range. If these numbers are abnormal, they indicate that
you are at risk for developing heart problems in the future. They are
early warning signals, which if corrected and treated can help prevent the
development of heart disease. Often these numbers can be corrected with
lifestyle changes including improving your diet, exercising and losing
weight. If these measures fail, they can be easily corrected with medication.
- An
initial, thorough heart check at age 40 is recommended if a woman has risk
factors or a family history of heart disease, or at age 50 if there’s no
family history or risk factors. In any other case, heart scans are not
required until age 55.
- Women
should also be aware of stroke. Stroke prevention is very similar to heart
disease prevention. Blood thinners and cholesterol drugs called statins
have been shown to help prevent heart attacks and the need for bypass and
angioplasty. These same drugs are also proven to reduce the incidence of
stroke.
- Women
are twice more likely to have a stroke than men. On the other hand, men
have more heart attacks than women. “We are not sure why, but in the end,
it’s likely all the same disease process and we treat them similarly.
Stroke can have a devastating impact, not only on the survivor, but on
everyone who cares for her. It’s another dramatic reason to take care of
yourself, says Dr Karla Kurrelmeyer.
“At the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular
Center in Houston , we’ve launched several clinical
trials designed to research new treatments and diagnostic tools in heart care
for women. The data in one study suggests that if you can perform an exercise
treadmill stress test, the likelihood of having a cardiac event in the next
five years is really quite low.
“The good news is that heart disease can be prevented. You
have the tools at your disposal. Take advantage of them,” Kurrelmeyer added.
Source By: Health Sify
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