| This
half-hour edition of Informed Choices is designed
to raise women's awareness of their risks for heart disease
and address the following issues: myths about women and
heart disease; why women should learn about symptoms of
heart disease; when to go to a cardiologist; risk factors,
treatment and prevention options, how to control cholesterol;
tips for a healthy heart and the different experiences women
have from men during a heart attack. The role of stress,
diet, exercise, lifestyle, and hormone replacement therapy
play in heart disease will also be examined. The panel examines
the risk factors for heart and cardiovascular disease and
considers strategies to reduce a woman's chance of suffering
from these health problems.
Many women think heart disease is a man's problem, but
heart disease is very much a woman's problem. Heart disease
is the #1 killer of women, as well as men in America. Heart
disease affects women of all racial and ethnic groups, but
black women are more likely to die of heart disease than
white women. Men have heart attacks and strokes more often
than do women, but the death rate for women from cardiovascular
disease is higher. This is due in part to the typically
later age when women have heart attacks as well as co-morbidity
factors such as diabetes, which increase the likelihood
of death. As women age, and particularly after menopause,
they become more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Younger
women are also at risk for cardiovascular disease if they
smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol
levels, and a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Tape Piece: (Produced by Paula M. Levine)
In this country, more women die of heart attacks then men.
Why? Because most women still don't know the signs or the
risk factors for heart disease. But Cyndy Holt should have.
She's a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist at Overlook
Hospital. Yet, at the age of 42, pregnant with her 4th child,
she had not one but 2 heart attacks. We'll talk with her
and her doctor to understand why and how it happened. And
we'll see what Cyndy's doing to make sure it doesn't happen
to anyone else ... with her "women's heart awareness"
group.
Dr. Audrey von Poelnitz |
Patricia Lopas
|
Karen Campbell
|
Bonnie Arkus
|
Guests:
Dr. Audrey von Poelnitz - An Interventional
cardiologist and attending physician at Morristown Memorial
Hospital.
Patricia Lopas - A heart attack survivor.
Karen Campbell - A registered dietician
with Riverview Medical Center located in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Bonnie Arkus - A nurse and Executive Director
of the Women's Heart Foundation, a non-profit organization
dedicated to improving heart health and heart care.
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