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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
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Acknowledging Aging
Dale Bumpers College
Avian Influenza and
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Leading Causes of Death |
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1900 Tuberculosis |
1990 Cardiovascular Disease |
Many women think heart disease is a man’s problem, but heart disease is very much a woman’s problem. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, as well as men in America. Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death for American women (cancer is #2). Heart disease affects women of all racial and ethnic groups, as well as women with other illnesses, such as diabetes. Black women are more likely to die of heart disease than white women are. Increasing age is also a factor in heart disease and with people age 65 and over being the fastest growing group in the U.S., heart disease is becoming a growing problem for women.
Almost twice as many women die from cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined. Men have heart attacks and strokes more often than do women. But, the death rate for women from cardiovascular disease is higher. As women age, particularly after menopause, they become more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Lower levels of estrogen during and after menopause are thought to increase a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease. Early menopause, natural or surgical, can double a woman’s risk for developing coronary heart disease. Younger women are also at risk for cardiovascular disease if they smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and a family history of cardiovascular disease at young ages. Women with congenital heart disease (born with a heart defect) have a higher risk of having a baby with a heart defect.
Some surprising facts:
The leading causes of death for American women in the year 2000* were:
For women in midlife, taking action is particularly important. For once a woman reaches menopause, her risks of heart disease and heart attack jump dramatically. One in 8 women between the ages of 45 and 64 has some form of heart disease, and this increases to 1 in 3 women over 65.
Coronary heart disease is the main form of heart disease. It is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart. Often referred to simply as heart disease, it is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and rheumatic heart disease.
One reason some women aren’t too concerned about heart disease is that they think it can be "cured" with surgery. This is a myth. Heart disease is a lifelong condition-once you get it, you’ll always have it. True, procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasty can help blood and oxygen flow to the heart more easily. But the arteries remain damaged, which means you are more likely to have a heart attack. What’s more, the condition of your blood vessels will steadily worsen unless you make changes in your daily habits. Many women die of complications from heart disease, or become permanently disabled. That's why it is so vital to take action to prevent and control this disease.
Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse. Important risk factors for heart disease that you can do something about are cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, overweight, physical inactivity, and diabetes.
Some risk factors, such as age and family history of early heart disease, can’t be changed. For women, age becomes a risk factor at 55.
Studies have shown that physical inactivity adds to a person’s risk for getting heart and cardiovascular disease. People who are not active are twice as likely to develop heart and cardiovascular disease compared to those who are more active. Excess body weight in women is linked with coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and death from heart-related causes. The more overweight you are, the higher your risk for heart disease.
Diabetes, sometimes referred to as high blood sugar, is a serious condition that raises a woman’s risk for heart and cardiovascular disease. Women with diabetes have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke than do women without diabetes. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity often go hand-in-hand, raising a person’s risk for heart disease. And, diabetes has been found to double the risk of a second heart attack in women but not in men.
Being around tobacco smoke for large amounts of time, or all the time, can increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease, even if you do not smoke. Today’s low-dose birth control pills carry a much lower risk of heart disease and stroke than the higher-dose earlier pills did. But this is not the case for women who smoke or who have high blood pressure.
Reduce your risk:
Having a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet and getting regular exercise are excellent health habits for all women to have. These good health habits will lower blood pressure and keep blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels healthy.
A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack." A stroke can injure the brain like a heart attack can injure the heart.
There are two types of stroke:
Either type of stroke can cause brain cells to die. This brain damage may cause a person to lose control of certain functions, such as speech, movement, and memory. Like a heart attack, a stroke is an emergency and should be treated as quickly as possible.
A "mini-stroke" refers to a transient ischemic attack (T I A). In a T I A, there is a short-term reduction in blood flow to the brain. This causes temporary stroke symptoms (often just for a few minutes) such as weakness or tingling in an arm or leg. TIAs don't cause brain damage, but they are important warning signs that a person is at risk of having a stroke. If you have a T I A, you should seek medical care right away to prevent a full stroke.
Warning signs of stroke
Know that not everyone gets all of the following warning signs of stroke. And, sometimes these signs can go away and return. Treatments are most effective if given within one hour of when the attack begins. If you have any of these symptoms, call 911 right away!
A person who has a stroke may suffer little or no brain damage and disability, especially if the stroke is treated promptly. But stroke can lead to severe brain damage and disability, or even death. The type of disability caused by a stroke depends on the extent of brain damage and what part of the brain is damaged.
Stroke may cause paralysis or weakness of one side of the body, memory problems, mood changes, trouble speaking or understanding speech, problems with eating and swallowing, pain, depression, and other problems. Rehabilitation and medical treatment can help a person recover from the effects of stroke and prevent another stroke from occurring.
Stroke risks are higher in people who have a family or personal history of stroke and for African Americans. African American women have a higher risk of disability and death from stroke than Caucasian women do. This is partly because more African American women have high blood pressure, a major stroke risk factor. Age is also a factor: the chance of having a stroke more than doubles for each decade of life after age 55. Women who smoke or who have high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes are at greater risk of having a stroke. Hormonal changes with pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause are also linked to an increased risk of stroke.
The more stroke risk factors you have, the greater the chance that you will have a stroke. You can't control some risk factors, such as aging, family health history, race and gender. But you can change or treat most other risk factors to lower your risk.
Here are some of the best ways to prevent stroke:
It's easy to believe cancer is a major threat to women's health, but the kinds of cancer women are dying of might surprise you. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the most common cause of cancer death in U.S. women is lung cancer. It's estimated that nearly 66,000 women in the United States died of lung cancer in 2002, with 90 percent of these deaths linked to cigarette smoking. Even though we know its effects are harmful, 1 out of every 5 women in the U.S. still smokes. We already know that the best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit (or never start) smoking. The sooner a person quits smoking the better. Even if you have been smoking for many years, it's never too late to benefit from quitting.
Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women, and it's estimated that more than 203,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. The ACS estimates that about 40,000 women die each year of breast cancer.
The third-leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States is colorectal cancer. Like heart disease, colorectal cancer is often mistakenly thought of as a man's disease, but more women than men die of colorectal cancer each year. Estimates suggest that it claims the lives of approximately 28,000 women in the United States annually.
At least one-third of all cancer deaths are related to nutrition and other controllable lifestyle factors. Do all you can to reduce your risks:
Simply stated, diabetes means the body has lost its main source of fuel, and the body cannot survive without fuel. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas, a little organ near the stomach that produces insulin (a hormone), can't make enough insulin or the body can't use the insulin properly. Insulin is important because it helps get glucose (a sugar that comes from most of the foods we eat) into our cells for energy. With diabetes, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy. Diabetes is a serious and growing problem. An estimated 17 million Americans have diabetes, but only 11.1 million cases are diagnosed. About nine million women have diabetes, and about a third of these don't even know they have it! It is the 5th leading cause of death in women.
Diabetes can lead to serious, even life-threatening complications and serious damage to many parts of the body: the heart, eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, nerves, gums and teeth, feet and legs. Unfortunately, many people first become aware that they have diabetes when they develop one of these problems. Women with diabetes face special concerns, like an increased risk of vaginal infections and complications during pregnancy.
The three main types of diabetes are:
Members of African American, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic American/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ethnic groups are at increased risk for diabetes.
Other things that can put you at higher risk for developing diabetes include:
If you are 45 years old or older, you should be tested for diabetes. If your test result is normal, you should then be tested every three years. People under age 45 should be tested if they are at high risk for diabetes.
Diabetes treatment is focused on keeping blood sugar in a normal range every day. A recent major study showed that keeping blood glucose levels as close to normal as safely possible reduces the risk of developing major complications of type 1 diabetes. If you have diabetes, a good blood sugar range is from about 70 to 150 (before a meal) and less than 200 about two hours after your last meal.
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Clinical Trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed that the onset of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed in people at high risk by losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight and getting 30 minutes of physical activity such as brisk walking on most days. The good news is that these lifestyle changes worked for men and women, for people of every ethnic or racial group who participated in the study, and it was especially successful for people over age 60. To help you lose weight, eat a healthy diet that includes a balance of all the food groups, with less fatty foods, foods lower in cholesterol, and more foods rich in fiber. Too much fat or cholesterol and inactivity can make you overweight and prevent your body from functioning effectively. Not being able to regulate blood sugar correctly is one effect. Cut down on fat and cholesterol by choosing low-fat dairy products, lean cuts of meat, more fish and poultry without the skin, and margarine instead of butter. Also, limit foods high in salt and sugar.
Menopause
Menopause is a normal change in a woman’s life when her period stops. That’s why some people call menopause "the change of life" or "the change." During menopause a woman’s body slowly produces less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This often happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years old. A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for 12 months in a row.
Hormone therapy for menopause has also been called hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Lower hormone levels in menopause may lead to hot flashes, vaginal dryness and thin bones. To help with these problems, women are often given estrogen or estrogen with progestin (another hormone). Like all medicines, hormone therapy has risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about hormones. If you decide to use hormones, use them at the lowest dose that helps. Also use them for the shortest time that you need them.
Every woman’s period will stop at menopause. Some women may not have any other symptoms at all.
As you near menopause, you may have:
Treatment for symptoms of menopause
Benefits from using hormones for menopause
Risks of using hormones
Women should not take hormone therapy for menopause if they:
Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," is a condition of excessive skeletal fragility resulting in weakened bones that break easily. A combination of genetic, dietary, hormonal, age-related, and lifestyle factors all contribute to this condition. Osteoporosis usually progresses painlessly until a fracture occurs, which is usually in the hip, spine, or wrist.
Are women more affected by osteoporosis than men?
Overall, approximately eight million American women and 2 million men have osteoporosis. Women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis because of the loss of estrogen at menopause. (Estrogen blocks or slows down bone loss.) Over half of all women over the age of 65 have osteoporosis. Even though osteoporosis is often thought of as a disease that only affects older people, it can strike at any age.
Osteoporosis leads to 1.5 million fractures, or breaks, per year, mostly in the hip, spine and wrist, and costs $14 billion annually. One in two women over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture.
What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?
Factors that can increase your chances of developing osteoporosis include:
Routine x-rays can't detect osteoporosis until it's quite advanced, but other radiological methods can. The Food and Drug Administration (F D A) has approved several kinds of devices to estimate bone density. Most require far less radiation than a chest x-ray. Doctors consider a patient's medical history and risk factors in deciding who should have a bone density test. Readings are compared to a standard for the patient's age, sex and body size. Different parts of the skeleton may be measured, and low density at any site is worrisome. Bone density tests are useful for confirming a diagnosis of osteoporosis if a person has already had a suspicious fracture, or for detecting low bone density so that preventive steps can be taken.
Osteoporosis is usually preventable. Females need to take steps to protect the health of their bones while they are still children, and on through their teenage and young adult years. Building strong bones at a young age will lessen the effect of the natural bone loss that begins to occur around age 30.
Eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, fish with edible bones like salmon and sardines, and dark green, leafy vegetables, like kale and broccoli. Do weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, hiking, playing tennis, and stair climbing. Exercise builds bone and muscle strength and helps prevent bone loss and improves coordination to prevent falls. It also helps older people stay active and mobile. Weight-bearing exercises, done on a regular basis, are best for preventing osteoporosis. Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Consider using calcium supplements, but discuss the choice of supplements with your doctor first. Don't smoke. Limit alcoholic beverages.
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University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
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