Charlotte Libov
author of: "The Women's Heart Book"
by Fredric J. Pashkow, MD and Charlotte Libov
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
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Charlotte Libov is an award winning medical author and a contributor to The New York Times and other national publications. She has also written, produced, and appeared on programs for public television . Since undergoing open-heart surgery in 1990, she has become a popular speaker on women's health issues and is the founder of National Women's heart Day (Feb. 1). She lives in Southbury, CT.

I was fortunate to read Charlotte's terrific book The Women's heart Book. This comprehensive book will help women calculate their risk for heart disease, how to find a good doctor, and how to prevent heart disease.

Heart attacks are the number one killer for all women. This statistic alone is enough for all of us to take notice and protect our hearts.

Sue:
Charlotte, why are women seemingly so disinterested in heart disease, in fact most are solely preoccupied by breast cancer as THE health crisis? It has been established that heart disease is the number one cause of death in all women. How do women become more aware and educated about this?

Charlotte:
For generations, women (and their doctors) have been educated to believe that heart disease is a problem almost solely for men. Research studies were lacking in women, and the few research studies that did focus on women found that chest pain and other heart-related symptoms did not bode a serious problem for women. Unfortunately, in hindsight, those studies were wrong. But, as a result, those of us who are concerned about heart disease in women are still playing catch-up. Unfortunately, also, heart disease is a silent disease. Women who are celebrities and breast cancer survivors feel almost obligated to share their stories. Heart disease is much more of a silent disease. There are female celebrities with heart disease, but they remain silent. Most of us know Betty Ford for her battles with breast cancer and substance abuse; how many know that she has undergone bypass surgery as well?

• The best thing that women can do is to look at their own family medical history.
• Are they at risk for heart disease?
• If they are, they need to educate themselves and make changes in their lifestyle. Unfortunately, they sometimes need to raise the awareness of their doctors as well.

Heart Attack: A Woman's Worst Enemy

excerpted with the author's permission from The Woman's Heart Book Chapter 5 by Fredric J. Pashkow, M.D. and Charlotte Libov.
©2001 Charlotte Libov. May not be reproduced without the author's permission.

Of the nearly one half million Americans who will die from heart attacks each year, half of them will be women. This makes heart attack the number one cause of death in women, with about 235,000 women projected to die from them this year alone. Yet, despite this, most women remain unaware of the danger heart attack poses them.

Consider Helen, for instance. It was a November morning as Helen drove down the highway in her yellow school bus filled with kids. At the age of 45, Helen knew her blood pressure and her cholesterol were "on the high side," but she'd been feeling pretty satisfied with her health lately. She'd quit smoking a few years ago, and, feeling stressed out, had just cut back on her work hours. Just in time, too; it was just two days before Thanksgiving, and Helen had a big thanksgiving dinner to cook.

Suddenly, a car swerved into her lane, nearly colliding with the bus. the scare left Helen with a sudden cramping in her chest, but it quickly disappeared. Greatly relieved over avoiding the accident, Helen finished the route, and returned home for lunch. After eating, she recalls, " I had this gassy sensation I thought was indigestion." By dinnertime, she was feeling worse. She figured it was "and unusually sever gas attack." but nothing she did would relieve it. She cooked dinner, but was feeling worse and worse. "By this time, I'm realizing there's more to this than I'm admitting to. I was beginning to feel pain creeping up into my neck and my jaw."

Helen's son and daughter begged her to call a doctor. Helen refused, and they got into a fight. Helen grabbed her purse, stormed out of the house, and jumped into her new car. "Then I came to my senses and though to myself, " What are you doing? If you don't kill yourself, you could kill somebody else." She slipped back into the house, unnoticed, and lay down on her bed. But no matter how much she tossed and turned, the pressure bearing down on her chest would simply not let up. Finally, she emerged from the bedroom. "My daughter said to me, " Ma I only wanted to know what was the matter," and I said, "It hurts." And then I started to cry. They called 911, and the ambulance came."

On the way to the hospital, Helen still insisted nothing was wrong. Even as the emergency technician was giving her oxygen, she told him, " I don't know what everyone is making such a fuss about; it's only gas."

Helen was admitted to the hospital. The next day, when her doctor arrived to tell her she'd suffered a heart attack, she burst into tears. "I just about lost it right there in bed. I was hysterical. I yelled at the doctor, "I don't have time for this!"

Helen's reaction is not unusual. Despite all the publicity about the importance of people seeking help if they suspect they may be having a heart attack, both men and women often deny it. In fact, studies have shown that women delay even longer, with dangerous consequences.

Medically known as a myocardial infarction (MI), a heart attack occurs when the blood flowing to your heart is cut off completely. Your blood carries, among other important things, which your heart needs to survive. Thus, a lack of oxygen results eventually in injury to the heart muscle. When your heart muscle is damaged severely, your heart cannot pump the needed oxygenated blood to the rest of your body.

You may be having a heart attack if:

• The chest pain comes on over a minute or two and builds in intensity.
• The pain occurs near the center, not the extreme left side of your chest.
• The pain lasts at least twenty minutes and is usually not relieved by rest or changing position.
• The pain ranges from mild to severe, and usually feels like pressure or heaviness.
• The pain may radiate up into your jaw or your back or down your left arm.
• You may experience nausea, shortness of breath, or a sense of impending doom. Women often experience these symptoms when having a heart attack.

Heart attack FAQ

• Heart disease is the number one killer of American Women.
• Every year, an estimated 485,000 American women die of cardiovascular disease (heart disease & stroke), more than twice the number who die of all forms of cancer combined.
• An estimated 240,000 women die annually of heart disease, five times the number who die of breast cancer.
• Women suffer nearly half (49 percent) of the 480,000 heart disease deaths that occur each year.
• More women than men die of heart attacks within the first year of their first heart attack (44 vs. 27 percent).
• More women than men will suffer a heart attack within four years after their first heart attack (20 percent vs. 16 percent).
• Heart attacks kill nearly 21,000 women under the age of 65, and over 29 percent of them are under the age of 55.
• One in eight women age 45 and over has had a heart attack.
• Black women have a 33 percent higher death rate from coronary heart disease than white women, and a 77 percent higher death rate from stroke.
• Coronary heart disease is a major risk factor for stroke, which kills over 87,000 women each year.
• An estimated nearly 1 million Americans are currently living with heart defects. Some defects occur more commonly in women and can remain undetected until well into adulthood, putting their lives at risk.

Statistics from The American Heart Association and The Woman's Heart Book by Fredric J. Pashkow, M.D. and Charlotte Libov, founder of National Women's Heart Health Day. ©2001 Charlotte Libov. May not be reproduced without the author's permission.

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Linda Ojeda, Ph.D
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In her latest book, Her Healthy Heart, Linda again is in front of the health pack.  She rings the warning bell for all women to wake up and recognize that heart disease is as big a problem for women as it is for men.  Not only do women have a six times greater chance of dying from heart disease when compared with deaths  from  breast cancer, women are often misdiagnosed and do not receive the proper heart care. Her Healthy Heart is filled with practical and useful ways for women to keep their hearts healthy and prevent heart disease.  She also provides natural ways to prevent and reverse heart disease.

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Women younger than 50 years old are most likely to die of a heart attack. Younger women have a greater chance of dying of a heart attack than men. Find out why this is true, what YOUR risk is and how you can help reduce your risks and lead a healthier life.

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