Heart Disease Contrary to Popular

Heart Disease

Contrary to popular belief, cancer is not the leading cause of death among people in America. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. There are many conditions that contribute to heart disease which are: arrhythmia, high cholesterol, hypertension, congenital heart disease and several others (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/). Because there are so many conditions that can cause heart disease, this paper will focus on heart disease in women. Many women are more concerned with breast or ovarian cancer and are not aware that heart disease kills more women than both of these types of cancer. Many women with heart disease aren't even aware that they have the disease which is why increased awareness of the disease in necessary. The more informed the woman is, the more she can do to prevent heart disease.

The symptoms of heart disease can include fatigue, shortness of breath, and numbness of extremities and vomiting, yet many women brush these symptoms off until they become too severe to ignore (Banks 430). With the busy lives that many women lead, they make take these symptoms as the result of having a stressful day and think that it is normal. Stress does play a role in heart disease as well as diet and physical activity. While some women may have hereditary factors which contribute to their condition, there are still many precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of heart disease. Small changes can build up to gradual and long lasting improvements. It is important for women to make time to relax and reduce stress. Also, even though fast food is convenient it is often unhealthy so women must learn to prepare healthful meals and get to moving. Banks states that women are different physiologically from men in that their coronary vessels are much smaller making it easier for arteries to become blocked. She says that moderate physical activity such as walking for thirty minutes at least five times a week can help to prevent this blockage (432, 435).

Of particular note concerning heart disease in women is women of color, especially African-American women. Heart disease is extremely prevalent in minority women who are low-income. Macabasco-O'Connell et.al say that the stress levels for women in this group is oftentimes higher than non-minority women in higher socioeconomic groups. The high amount of stress that these women experience is usually accompanied with depression and studies have shown that depression can also lead to a greater risk of heart disease (2, 3). Because many women from lower socio-economic statuses are uninsured or underinsured, they run the risk of being treated once their conditions have advanced or not being treated at all. Many women in this group may drink and use tobacco products heavily and do not have healthy diets. Nor do they get any type of physical activity to reduce the risk of heart disease. Many of these women also believe that some form of cancer (such as breast cancer) is the leading cause of death in women and therefore they do not focus on heart disease or take any measures to prevent this disease because they are not informed.