Cardio-Vascular Diseases in Women - Research Paper Example

Cardio-Vascular Diseases in Women Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are equally dangerous in both men and women. It has been long when the myth was accepted by general public that diseases of heart are actually men diseases. Now this fable has been greatly demystified by the awareness and the alarming rate itself as the US women are equally prone to the disease as their men are. The rate of death in US women from these circulation diseases has been increased greatly from only 30 percent in 1997 to 54 percent in 2009 (Mosca et al., 2010) Cardiovascular diseases not only pose threat to the U.S. women only but is also the top most peril to the women’s health from the developing countries. The death rate prevelance of Coronary heart disease was highest among all deaths from CVDs and was estimated to be 50% of all cardiac diseases in 2007 while it was only 33% back in 1980 (Xu et al., 2010). However this has been a major consensus of scientists and researchers that although these heart diseases are difficult to cure but they can be prevented easily. Strong preventive measures like quitting smoking, introducing physical activity, healthy diet, fighting obesity, hypertension and diabetes can be useful in preventing these cardiac diseases events. Prevelance: Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major reasons of deaths that are obliterating more women annually than the combined death rates of malaria, tuberculosis, cancers and AIDS etc. It has been estimated that around 8.6 million women died annually due to these un-periodic cardiac events. CVDs ranked third of all deaths that occur in women around the globe. Death rate in women due to ischemic heart diseases is 3.4 million; stroke is 3 million and rheumatic, hypertension and inflammatory heart cases accounts for 2.2 million deaths annually. Moreover women from low and middle income nation are more expected to expire after these circulation issues as compared to the developed ones. In United States, death rate among women due to these CVDs has been calculated as 1 death per minute in 2007 (Pilote et la., 2007) (Go et al., 2014) The ethnic backgrounds also have impact on this ailment. In United States, there are considerably elevated rates for the black females who are the sufferers as compared with their white correspondents i.e 286.1 out of 100,00 blacks as equated to 205.7 per 100 000 whites. The one reason for this prevelance is related to the awareness of strokes and heart diseases that has been acknowledged to be more in white as compared to blacks (Kleindorfer et al., 2009). Furthermore women of developing countries are at higher risks for developing cardiovascular disorders than men. Some high risk diseases for these events are diabetes, as diabetic type 2 women are at higher risk for developing circulation issues as compared to men. Age is another determining factor such as young women experiencing heart attack have higher death rate as compared to their male counterparts of similar age. Disabilities and associated complications are also more in females as compared to males. But for the prevention of second heart attack after initial stroke, there are lesser chances of prescribing aspirin as an anticoagulant and other bypass surgeries or non-invasive procedures like introduction of pace makers (Go et al., 2014). Another main concern that is prevalent in society is that the typical mindsets of women that do not consider themselves to be at risk of cardiac diseases. It was proposed that even young girls consider them to be more prone to certain tumors and malignancies, instead of cardiovascular disorders. But when they are counseled and educated with the associated risks and health management interventions, they are more likely to accept it (Mosca et al. 2011). The modifiable risks factors that can be altered to reduce the chances of these cardiovascular disease events are initiating physical activity, quitting smoking, sustaining ideal weight, and eating well balanced healthy diet. Women should be made more conscious about their certain lab values numeral like their blood pressure, their weight, body mass index, glucose, cholesterol level that can be helpful in developing their immunity against the havoc of these cardiovascular diseases (Go et al., 2014) (Mosca et al. 2011). If a woman does no physical work and is also over weight, her chances of these diseases increases 2.48 times as compared to a normal weight woman. And one who does only one or less than one hour work per week gets 1.48 times more chance of diseases as compared to ones who contributes three hours of physical work in seven days. Smokers women increase chances of heart attack two folds as compared to non-smokers and even experiencing a second hand smoke may also elevates the chances by 15%. Hypertension is also a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases as women who are hypertensives are at 3.5 times higher risks of developing cardiac diseases when compared to women who have normal blood pressure values (Mosca et al. 2011). Interventions: If the risk factors are altered and arbitrated, like applying life style modifications i.e. introducing physical activity, reviving healthy eating and quitting smoking or using certain type of medications like blood pressure lowering agents, cholesterol levels reducers, anti obesity drugs the cardiovascular events have reported to be decreased significantly around 23% since 2000 (Brown, 2010) Other associated risk factors when combated also decrease disease events like when smoking cessation was implemented over the abusers and they stop using tobacco around 3.6 percent, a 19.7% cardiac diseases were reported instead of 23%. In 2000, after proper education and counseling 3% women were reported to initiate physical activity. Hypertension was also considered to be tackled both through pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions by health care professionals and major risks of cardiovascular diseases were linked to be associated with a high blood pressure (Lloyd et al., 2009). Efforts have been made to lessen cholesterol levels in women, through both by primary and secondary disease prevention measures. Use of statins as cholesterol lowering agents has also been employed greatly in women so that the level of cholesterol can be maintained within normal limits. Women aged 45-65 years have high incidence of using statins from 1.9 % to 13.5% from 2000-2010. Also women more than 65 years of age have even elevated incidence from 3.5% to 32.8% (Brown, 2010). Observing obesity and diabetes as high risk factors and making effort to demise such causes also contribute in eradicating these cardiovascular diseases from the society. These two factors have also strong association with ethnicity or race. The centre of disease control have released certain figures in 2006 regarding being over-weight and its relation with diabetes and cardiac diseases. It has been estimated that 31.3% of white, 41.8% of Mexican-American and 53.2% of black women were fat i.e. they possess BMI (Body mass index) greater than and equal to 30kg/m2 , which is directly related to the prevalence of diabetes among these i.e. 8.2% in white, 15.3% in Mexican Americans and 16.9% in blacks which further clarifies its association with rate of cardiac diseases like highest risks for blacks, moderate for Mexican Americans and least for white Americans (Coulter, 2011). There is no debate over the fact that the best remedy for these diseases is prevention. Anticipation of the disease before occurring can decrease the epidemiology to a certain extent. Identification and adaptation of the metabolic and clinical risk factors has considerably abridged the mortality and morbidity rates in women in relation to different cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarction, stroke and coronary heart disease. The main alarming issue is that even though the variation in statistics of death rates between men and women are waning, still the racial and ethnic differences still continues (D. Agostino, 2008) Healthier and smarter communities are working on the patient counseling, proper education and awareness campaigns that work more towards guiding women about the possible threats of cardiovascular diseases and the preventive measures that will encourage women to practice certain preventive plans in their everyday lives for combating well against the monster of cardiac diseases (Coulter, 2011). There is a strong need of collaboration at international level for proper implementation of these preventive guidelines by World Health Organization (W.H.O.), Centre for Disease Control (C.D.C) and American Heart Association (A.H.A) throughout the world that requires need consideration and concern which is reflective of the fact that these cardiovascular diseases among women are becoming a global pandemic. The fact that almost 81% of all cardiac deaths in women take place in developing i.e. low and middle income countries highlights the need for proper communication and interpretation of the guidelines to every part of the world. The need of the hour is to join hands together with all health communities around the world for the eradication of these cardiovascular disorders (Coulter, 2011) The International organization must work for the application of these standard guidelines that can be defined as the aptitude and ability to implement the suggestions proposed by these guidelines “as it is” or after suitable adjustments by practioners, clinicians, medical personals, patients and pharmacists in all other countries around the globe. There is a dire need for combined efforts in ameliorating cardio-vascular health of the general population and decreasing the associated complications, plummeting mortality rate, and sinking incidence of myocardial infarction in women that entail intensive and rigorous efforts towards further research and the spreading and achievement of lifestyle modification and treatment strategies. References: i. Brown JR, OConnor GT. Coronary heart disease and prevention in the United States. 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Temporal trends in public awareness of stroke: warning signs, risk factors, and treatment. Stroke. 2009;40:2502–2506. vii. Mosca, L. et al. Effectiveness-Based Guidelines For The Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease In Women--2011 Update: A Guideline From The American Heart Association. Circulation 123.11 (2011): 1243-1262. Web. 23 Jun. 2014. viii. Mosca L, Mochari-Greenberger H, Dolor RJ, Newby LK, Robb KJ. Twelve-year follow-up of American women’s awareness of cardiovascular disease risk and barriers to heart health. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3:120 –127. ix. Pilote L, Dasgupta K, Guru V, et al. A comprehensive view of sex-specific issues related to cardiovascular disease. CMAJ 2007; 176 (6):S1–44 x. Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, B. T-V. Deaths: Final Data for 2007: National Vital Statistics Reports. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2010. Read More