Vim & Vigor - Summer 2015 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center - (Page 48)

HEALTH BY THE NUMBERS HEARTBREAKING FIGURES 90 SECONDS Every 1½ minutes, RISK FACTORS 1 in 3 About 33% of American adults have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. someone in the U.S. dies from heart disease. 20% of deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are related to cigarette smoking. 31% A diet high in saturated fat is to blame for almost a third of coronary heart disease cases. 83.6 MILLION 1/3 More than one-third of Americans are obese, a top risk factor for heart disease. Additionally, a third of Americans are overweight but not obese. The number of Americans who have one or more types of heart disease. 47 % Nearly half of Americans have at least one of these three risk factors for cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking. 49% Nearly half of African-American women have some form of cardiovascular disease, as do 44% of AfricanAmerican men. Sources: American Heart Association, The Heart Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Heart Federation, American College of Cardiology Why Aren't Women Wising Up to Heart Disease? 48 "Women show up to the ER with heart attack symptoms an average of four hours later than men," Dr. Martin says. "They're also less likely to get pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, and less likely to attend cardiac rehab." Fortunately, the tide is changing. The HEART for Women Act requires that cardiac research studies requesting government funding must include enough women to be statistically viable. And medical device manufacturers are making pacemakers and defibrillators smaller to better fit in the female body. "We're changing the sobering statistics. We're raising awareness," Dr. Martin says. "But there's still work to be done." A Woman's Greatest Threat At all ages, more women die from heart disease than breast cancer. To learn more about the world-class cardiac care services available at PCRMC's Heart & Vascular Center, please call 573-308-1301. ILLUSTRATIONS BY THINKSTOCK More women than men have died from heart disease every year since 1984, yet only one in five women believes it to be her greatest health threat. So why do women continue to overlook heart disease? "Early on, heart disease studies were predominantly done on middle-aged white men," says Thomas Martin, MD, a cardiologist with PCRMC's Heart & Vascular Center. "It just wasn't thought of as a woman's disease." That mentality has led to women reacting differently to heart attack symptoms and even receiving different treatment than men. Women are more likely to experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and nausea than severe chest pain. CALL S U M M ER 2015 FdVVSU1576_09-48_Commons.indd 48 FdVVSU1500_48_Numbers.indd 48 3/25/15 1:24 PM 1/28/15 10:51 AM

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Vim & Vigor - Summer 2015 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center