Female Speaker: Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the world. One out of three women will die from the disease. Once believed to be just a man's illness, heart disease and heart attacks maybe 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 thought it was indigestion, like a squeezing, and I would walk a few steps and then have to stop and rest, but never thought that it was a problem with my heart.
Female Speaker: Connie worked in the cardiology department at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. Her colleague, Dr. Jennifer Mieres wanted to investigate further when she heard about Connie's indigestion.
Dr. Jennifer Mieres: When we looked at the cardiogram and I spoke to her and heard about her symptoms, recognized that there was a minor abnormality on her cardiogram that could signal maybe silent heart disease, and made us think that maybe her heartburn, which came with exertion, which came when she was under stress, was really 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.
Dr. Jennifer Mieres: The 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 second-hand 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 regular physical activity.
Dr. Joann Manson: And in many ways, we've made progress with these risk factors, there's 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.
Dr. Jennifer H. Mieres: You have the plaque building up at a much more rapid rate if you're diabetic, especially an 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 second hand smoke. Eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly are also helpful in preventing heart disease.
Dr. Joann Mason: 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 2 diabetes and osteoporosis by about 40 to 50%.
Female Speaker: By avoiding controllable risk factors like a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking, women can decrease their risk of developing heart disease.
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