Doctors are unprepared, and women can’t believe it!
Did you know heart disease kills more women than any other disease in the world! According to a shocking survey published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, you are more familiar with this topic than 45% of women and even some cardiologists. The craziest part? Only 39% of the surveyed doctors thought that heart disease should be a top health concern in women. Most doctors claimed they felt unprepared and were not trained to test women for cardiovascular disease. However, if you catch early signs of any cardiovascular disorder and with great care, you can protect yourself from experiencing cardiovascular episodes, such as a heart attack. Yet with early detection and optimal care, cardiovascular (CV) events are preventable. Dr.Angela can provide you guidance in preventing, stopping, and even overturning heart disease. These are the unfamiliar truths about heart disease and what women need to know to care for their hearts properly.
True: Heart disease strikes more women than men.
Most people believe that heart disease is mostly an issue for men, but they are incorrect. Cardiovascular disease takes the lives of about 400,000 women in America every single year. Did you know that’s ten times the amount of deaths that breast cancer causes? Many women and doctors are unaware of these facts and are unaware of the high risk of heart disease in women, which results in a lack of cardiovascular specific therapy. Although the mortality rate continues to decrease in America, there is more of a decrease in men than women and an increase in the number of cases in women under the age of fifty-five.
Dr.Angela’s takeaway: Every single woman is at risk for heart disease. Heart disease usually shows no symptoms until it triggers a cardiac episode, which could cost your life.
Truth: More than half of the women surveyed never received a heart health assessment.
Most women believe that signs of cardiovascular disease would show in an annual physical or check-up, but they are wrong! Even though most of the people surveyed had either recently had or routinely has a wellness exam, but only approximately forty percent received an assessment on their heart. Even more shocking, only 71% of the females tested have never been asked or checked for cardiovascular disease. Most women rely on their doctors to inform them about proper times to get tested. The study also mentioned that minimal primary care providers followed the female-specific guidelines for heart disease evaluations in females. Risk calculators commonly used by doctors, mainly show evidence of studies done on men and not women.
Dr.Angela’s takeaway: There has been so much evidence that risk calculators do not work, but yet most doctors use them. It is essential to get checked and make sure you carefully watch risk factors involved in heart disease.
True: Most women who are at risk have not been told by their doctor.
Over 70 percent of the women surveyed had one or more heart disease risk factors like high cholesterol or blood pressure or smoke. However, only 16 percent were told by their doctor. Many women believe they should do more to keep their hearts young and healthy, but yet the survey found over 60 percent of women put off going to their doctors.
Dr. Angela’s takeaway: Never delay being screened for CVD. Even if you have no apparent signs of risk, plaque buildup in the arteries is common also. Be sure you are taking care of your heart and are aware of ALL risk factors involved in cardiovascular disease.
