Thanks Guys... this does mean a lot to me !!!
Here is an article which I think explains my concerns about heart disease... The first paragraph says it all.
Heart Disease Can Be a Silent Killer
Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. Heart disease kills more women than all types of cancer combined. Overall, more women die of heart disease than men. And African-American women under the age of 60 are four times more likely to die of heart disease than white women.
Heart disease is a generic term for a wide variety of diseases. The most common is coronary heart disease in which blood vessels that supply the heart become obstructed. This decreases the blood supply, reducing the heart's ability to get oxygen and nutrients, resulting in decreased heart function. If the blood supply is not restored, the heart muscle will die.
On average, men get heart disease about 10 years earlier than women. Women have the hormonal protection of estrogen which is produced until menopause. After menopause, the death rate of women to heart disease is equal to men. For the large majority of post-menopausal women, estrogen-replacement therapy is recommended to prevent heart disease as well as bone resorption problems (osteoporosis).
It is often more difficult to identify heart disease in women. The typical symptom in men is chest discomfort, but in women, neck or abdominal discomfort may be more prevalent. Since symptoms are not as readily recognizable, women might wait longer to get help with more serious consequences.
In fact, not all heart attacks cause pain. One study suggests that one-third of women who suffer heart attacks have no pain or symptoms they associate with a heart attack. One-fourth of heart attacks suffered by men are unsuspected. The initial symptom of heart disease the very first manifestation of symptoms can be chest discomfort, but heart attack or even sudden death are more likely.
While the symptoms are sudden, heart disease happens over years as arteries become clogged, usually with fatty deposits or inflammation. Diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, family history and gender are additional risk factors. The cells lining the arteries become damaged and additional deposits of fat and cholesterol may become calcified, eventually choking off the blood supply.
Another type of heart disease (a type of cardiomyopathy) is caused by an infection of the heart muscle. It is generally viral influenza of the heart, so to speak which can result in severe inflammation at any age, often with no symptoms. The condition can be deadly, but some patients completely recover.
Heart disease is most often treated with angioplasty or bypass surgery. Angioplasty is performed by inserting a tube through a major artery usually in the groin and then navigated to the heart. There, it inflates a balloon to open the clogged blood vessel. If there are too many inflamed lesions or a specific anatomical abnormality, or angioplasty does not work, bypass surgery may be used. In this procedure, another blood vessel (taken from the arm, chest or leg) is reimplanted to bypass the blockage and resupply the heart with blood. One or more bypasses may be performed.
For those patients who can no longer get relief for their heart disease with angioplasty or bypass surgery, a new procedure may help. At this time, it is highly experimental and efficacy results are forthcoming. A laser or other device is used to drill holes into the heart in hopes of causing an inflammatory process to stimulate new heart blood vessels to grow. And, while the heart cannot regenerate new muscle cells, existing cells may grow bigger to compensate.
The last resort is a heart transplant which regularly extends life five to 10 years. But the individual must meet rigorous criteria age, overall health, etc. and suffer from severe heart failure and chronic coronary blockages. The biggest challenge is finding a heart for the transplant because so few organs are being donated. In the future, transplanted animal hearts may hold promise, but man-made mechanical hearts as a long-term solution are not likely.
In addition to lifestyle changes, the number one tip for heart disease sufferers is to take a baby aspirin daily. This inhibits blood platelets from forming clots and markedly reduces subsequent heart attacks.
For more information or to set up an appointment, please call 414-805-6000.
David D. Gutterman, MD
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Cardiovascular Research Center
