Vim & Vigor - Fall 2017 - Community Healthcare - 39

TRUE OR FALSE:

Men die sooner because they
engage in riskier behavior.

TRUE. When it comes to diet and
smoking, men historically have been
bigger risk takers. That puts them at
greater risk of deadly lung and heart
diseases. But that's been less true in
modern times, when women began
adopting those risks, too.
"Smoking, early on in the 1900s, was
mainly a male hobby," Beltran-Sanchez
says. "That changed in the 1950s or
'60s." That said, men are still more likely
to smoke than women; nearly 17 in 100
American men smoke, while nearly 14 in
100 American women do.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Biological differences put
women at an advantage.

COULD BE TRUE. Heart disease
historically has lowered survival rates
for men. That's because men are more
vulnerable to cardiovascular damage
and women are more resistant, BeltranSanchez says. Scientists are still looking
for a clear-cut reason for this advantage,
though cholesterol plays a role. Studies
have shown that before women reach
menopause, estrogen increases good
cholesterol and decreases so-called bad
cholesterol.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Women live longer because of
hormonal differences.

MAYBE. Some scientists hypothesize that estrogen helps lower mortality
rates up until menopause. Mortality
rates among women do rise more

FOLLOW YOUR HEART
When it comes to making women and their health concerns a top priority, the
hospitals of Community Healthcare System continue to be recognized as leaders
in quality care.
Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and
St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart have been named among America's Best
Hospitals for Heart Care by the Women's Choice Award®. The award signifies
that these Northwest Indiana hospitals are positioned in the top 9 percent of
4,789 U.S. hospitals offering heart care services.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the No. 1 killer
of American women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. That's approximately one
woman dying every minute. Though it is often thought of as a "man's disease,"
heart disease strikes more women than men, and is more deadly than all forms
of cancer combined.
"With such strong prevalence of heart disease, every woman should know
where to find the very best heart care before she ever has an incident," says
Delia Passi, founder and CEO of The Women's Choice Award.

WEBSITE

sharply after menopause, but they
don't keep pace with mortality rates
of men. Beltran-Sanchez says that
although researchers are exploring
this, the link hasn't been proved.

TRUE OR FALSE:

Longevity is increasing for
men, too, and the life-span
difference between men and
women is narrowing.

TRUE. "Women are doing worse;
now it looks like men and women are
catching up," Beltran-Sanchez says.
Men still are more likely to die at
younger ages. But because behavior
differences between men and women
aren't as severe anymore-women are
taking risks, too- their average life
spans also will look more similar. This
is especially true for white women, for
whom life expectancy is going down.

Quality Care
for Women
To learn more about the
quality women's care
offered at the hospitals
of Community Healthcare
System, visit
www.comhs.org.

(Researchers think it's driven in part
by rising suicide rates, alcohol and
drug poisonings, and liver disease.)
"Things are changing so much,"
Beltran-Sanchez says, "I'm not sure
how much longer we're going to keep
seeing this large female advantage." ■

FAL L 2017

39
http://www.comhs.org
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