ONE FAMILY, THREE GENERATIONS, SEVERAL RISK FACTORS: COULD THE WOMEN IN YOUR FAMILY BE AT HIGH RISK OF HEART DISEASE?
Whether it is your mother, grandmother, daughter, or all of the above, celebrate Mother’s Day this year by taking care of HER. With 8 million women in the United States currently suffering heart disease, it is important to be aware that EVERY generation has different risk factors – despite popular belief, this includes even the younger generations of women in the family. Although risk does increase dramatically after the age of 55 for women, nearly 35,000 women under the age of 55 suffer a heart attack annually. The Heart Foundation statistics shows that men and women are very different when understanding heart disease. Because women experience more subtle symptoms of a heart attack like fatigue, gastrointestinal upset, and upper back pain, they often experience more severe consequences.
- Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal
- 42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men
One of the most common misconceptions of heart disease is that younger women are not at risk. While age is an important risk factor for heart disease, it is not the only one. Unfortunately, this misconception has made many young women blind to the realities of heart disease – with one in 23 young women (under 44) in the U.S. actually having heart disease. Before you assume you are among the younger, healthier generation of women in your family, first answer a few questions:
- “Have you ever looked into your family’s heart history?”
- “Do you smoke?” (If yes, “are you on birth control pills?”)
- Did you know that smoking while taking birth control pills is said to increase your risk of heart disease by nearly 20 percent?
- “Do you frequently binge drink?”
- “Do you carry excessive abdominal weight, or have a BMI of over 24.9?”
- “Do you lead a sedentary lifestyle?” Did you know that physical inactivity is said to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 50 percent? In 2011, the AHA estimated that only 17.1% of women met the 2008 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines.
- “Have you recently checked your blood pressure?”
Over 60 percent of young women have one or more risk factors for heart disease. The most significant difference in risk of heart disease between young and old is that younger generations have more opportunity to control their risks and avoid heart disease earlier on. Believe it or not, high blood pressure is more common in young adults than you may think. A recent study found that 19% of young adults have high blood pressure, while only about half of them are aware of it. Three of the most common risk factors of high blood pressure related heart disease in young women are poor diet, drugs, and pregnancy.
The maintenance of heart health among young women is especially important, and often underestimated, to ensure a healthy pregnancy when the time comes. Pregnancy is one of the most imperative times in a woman’s life to be fully aware of any potential health risks. From this point on, a mother is responsible for not only her own health, but also the health and well-being of her child – before and after birth. During pregnancy, many women experience health events, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and/or high blood pressure. Although these are primarily pregnancy conditions, their effects can be severe during pregnancy and even stick around long after childbirth, increasing the mother’s risk of heart disease, and often jeopardizing the health of the baby. Blood pressure is something that is carefully monitored during a pregnancy and can make rapid changes, even with no prior history of high blood pressure. Nearly 8% of women experience a peak in blood pressure or gestational hypertension at some point during their pregnancy. Gestational hypertension occurs only in pregnant women and often goes away after childbirth; however, some cases can lead to preeclampsia, a life-threatening condition for both mother and child. Additionally, women with a history of chronic hypertension are also at a significantly high risk of developing preeclampsia and complications during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a disorder seen only during pregnancy and the post-partum period that is categorized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine, usually after 20 weeks into the pregnancy. According to The preeclampsia Foundation, preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders are responsible for about 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year.
Another high-risk condition that pregnant women tend to develop is gestational diabetes. The hormonal changes during a pregnancy can influence the body’s cellular response to insulin, making gestational diabetes one of the most common health problems of a pregnancy. Most women do not remain diabetic after childbirth; however, their risk of developing it again during future pregnancies is increased, as well as their risk of developing type-2 diabetes later in life. Although these pregnancy conditions often disappear with childbirth, newer research has found that women who experienced these complications during pregnancy had about a 30% increased risk of heart disease several years later.
For every milestone in a woman’s life, she is given a new responsibility to understand herself and the changes that age may bring. While we may not want to acknowledge this time in our lives, being aware of the risk factors and health changes that menopause brings is essential to women’s health. Heart disease risks increase with age, regardless of sex; however, once a woman experiences menopause, symptoms become more distinct. While not the only factor, one of the most accepted factors in heart disease increase among post-menopausal women is the decline in estrogen production. With estrogen levels dropping 90 percent after menopause, the body is no longer receiving the benefits that estrogen provides to blood vessel dilation and cholesterol regulation, potentially being an important factor in heart disease. Although the loss of estrogen in post-menopausal women may increase the risks of heart disease, the addition of long-term hormone replacement therapy has also been linked to increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. Many women turn to hormone replacement therapy to ease menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and mood swings. Although these may be potentially useful during menopause, many women tend to extend the recommended dosage and/or duration of usage.
With all the changes a woman’s body encounters through the various stages of her life and all the potential risk factors for heart disease, one thing all researchers have agreed on is that the most beneficial thing a woman, particularly menopausal/post-menopausal, can do is increase physical activity, maintain a healthy diet, and be aware of potential risk factors. So, celebrate Mother’s day by going out and playing with your kids, go on a morning walk with your mom, or simply take care of yourself. By redirecting your own lifestyle and health choices, you are not only saving your own life, but the lives of those who love you, too.