Female Speaker: Heart disease is the number one killer of woman in the world, 1 out of 3 women will die from the disease. Once believed to be just a man's illness, heart disease and heart attacks may be more severe in women than men. But in both women and men, heart disease may have confusing symptoms. Connie Burt found out she had heart disease when she was preparing for some minor elective surgery.
Connie Burt: I've thought it was indigestion like squeezing and I will walk few steps again after stop in rest but never thought that it was a burden with my heart.
Female Speaker: Connie worked in the cardiology department North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. Her colleague Dr. Jennifer Mieres wanted to investigate further when she heard about Connie's in indigestion.
Jennifer Mieres: When we looked to the cardiogram and I spoke to her and heard about her symptoms recognized that there was minor abnormality on her cardiogram that could signal may be silent heart disease and made us think that may be a heart burn which came with exertion which came into us under stress was rarely related to heart disease.
Female Speaker: But in fact heart disease is responsible for more deaths in women worldwide than tuberculosis, malaria HIV/AIDS and all forms of cancer combined.
Jennifer Mieres: These statistics are rather startling, a 60 or 65 year old woman is about 20 times likely to have heart disease or die from heart disease compared to breast cancer.
Female Speaker: Heart disease can result from a number of factors some issues are within a woman's control, such as not smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, keeping healthy cholesterol levels, controlling blood pressure managing diabetes if you have it, and engaging in a regular physical activity.
Joann Manson: And in many ways we've made progress with these risk factors there is better detection and treatment of high blood pressure and better detection and treatment of high cholesterol. However, we're going in the wrong direction in terms of obesity and sedentary lifestyle and diabetes and those risk factors have actually been increasing in frequency over time.
Female Speaker: Diabetes is an important condition that will increase anyone's likelihood of developing heart disease.
Jennifer Mieres: You have the plaque building up at a much more rapid rate if you are diabetic or especially on uncontrolled diabetic and so putting you at risk for heart attacks and other aspects of cardiovascular disease.
Female Speaker: The good news is with a few lifestyle changes heart disease can be prevented. Everyone should avoid smoking and secondhand smoke. Eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly are also helpful in preventing heart disease.
Joann Manson: We know that even 30 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous exercise and including brisk walking can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes and osteoporosis by about 40 to 50%.
Female Speaker: By avoiding controllable risk factors like a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and smoking, woman can decrease their risk of developing heart disease.
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