Did you know; heart disease and stroke stands as the leading cause of death for women all over the country? Sad but true; still many are not aware of this threat.
Statistical data reveals, most women have at least one risk factor for stroke and heart disease. Moreover women who are diabetic or are menopausal are at greater risk.
It is now more important than ever for women to know about their own unique risk factors. It is now high time to recognize the signs for stroke and heart disease in order to prevent and manage them
Medically speaking; women tend to be safeguarded from heart disease before menopause
Thanks to the protective effect of estrogen pre-menopausal women are at a lower risk of heart attack and stroke than their menopausal counterpart.
The role of Estrogen
During her productive year’s estrogen – the naturally occurring hormone tends to provide a protective effect on women’s heart health.
But; estrogen’s protective effect can alter based on other altering factors and conditions
Birth control pills: Although modern oral contraceptives are much safer than the ones used earlier however in certain cases oral contraceptives increase the risk of high BP and blood clots. The risk goes higher if in case you smoke; drink, if you are over the age of 40 and if you have other risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
Pregnancy: Often over the nine months of gestation, some women tend to develop certain type of conditions, which may put them at higher risk of stroke and heart disease. It is usually the result of an underlying problem such as a pre-existing blood vessel malformation
Menopause: This is the time when women stops menstruating. With the onset of menopause the risk of heart disease in fact doubles due to the reduction in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. After menopause women may experience –
- An increase in total blood cholesterol
- A decrease HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol
- A tendency toward higher blood pressure
- An increase in central body fat
- Women may become more prone to blood clots and blood sugar problems
Cholesterol: Possibly you have read or heard that natural estrogen supports in keeping the cholesterol levels in a healthy range. As soon as the natural estrogen levels drop with the onset of menopause, women tend to develop high cholesterol.
Triglycerides: These are the most common type of fat in the body and a high triglyceride level typically goes with higher levels of LDL, lower levels of HDL and an increased risk of diabetes. This means; having high level of triglycerides increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. Talk to the heart specialist in Kolkata about your risk.
Women should make heart healthy changes in life
Women’s risk of stroke and heart disease are typically determined by all of the risk factors. Some of the risk factors are however controllable.
The risk factors that women can control includes
- Smoking
- high blood pressure
- high blood cholesterol
- diabetes
- physical inactivity
- obesity
Risk factors that you cannot control include
- Age
- Gender
- family history
Women can reduce their heart risk factors by –
- Becoming more active
- Remaining smoke free
- maintaining a healthy body weight
- Maintaining healthy blood pressure level through lifestyle changes and when needed through medication
- Eating a healthy diet
- Using medications to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
What should you do if you have more questions?
Ask the heart surgeon in Kolkata about any question that you may have. Your heart health is of vital importance and getting all the necessary information about the potential coronary angioplasty treatment in Kolkata can tell you if the procedure is right for you!