Women & Heart Health

Women spend their lives taking care of others. But when you think about it, by taking care of yourself, you are taking care of others... ensuring that you will be able to continue to fulfill your vital role in their lives.

71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu - often with no chest pain at all. Medical professionals are challenged to respond to women's milder symptoms, acting with insufficient guidelines.

Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.

Men's plaque distributes in clumps whereas women’s distributes more evenly throughout artery walls. This results in women's angiographic studies being misinterpreted as “normal”.

Women wait longer than men to go to an emergency room when having a heart attack and physicians are slower to recognize the presence of heart attacks in women because “characteristic” patterns of chest pain and EKG changes are less frequently present.

Women & Heart Disease

So, You're at the Peek of Health!

I was speaking to a friend the other day, and she was explaining that her and her husband were updating their wills.
Now they are both in their 50's and in relatively good health. I knew there was more to this story.
It turns out that about 9 months ago an associate of hers at the VA hospital went home sick with a headache and backache. She thought she was coming down with the flu.
She got home, and tried everything to gain relief from these symptoms. On her way home, she called and stopped by her doctors, to make sure that everything was all right. He saw her, could not diagnose her symptoms, and sent her home with a mild pain medication for her back, in case she needed it.
That evening she died of a massive heart attack.
She was in peek health. She even went to the doctor.
They both did not consider the fact that her family has a history of heart disease.

So often women exclude themselves from suspicion of heart disease. Our culture used to be one where mostly the men worked high stress jobs, or physical jobs. But that is not the case any more, and one cannot ignore recent statistics that show that:

• Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women. Three million women die from stroke each year. Stroke accounts for more deaths among women than men (11% vs 8.4%) with additional risk for CHD unique to women related to oral contraceptive use in combination with smoking.
• 8 million women in the US are currently living with heart disease; 35,000 are under age of 65. Four million suffer from angina.
• 435,000 American women have heart attacks annually; 83,000 are under age 65; 35,000 are under 55. The average: 70.4.
• 42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
• Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.
• 
  
  267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer. Another 31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, representing 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.

http://www.womensheart.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_facts.asp

Blood Tests for Heart Disease - II

 Lipoprotein (a)

Lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a), is a type of LDL cholesterol. Your Lp(a) level is determined by your genes and isn't generally affected by lifestyle.
High levels of Lp(a) may be a sign of increased risk of heart disease, though it's not clear how much risk. Your doctor might order an Lp(a) test if you already have atherosclerosis or heart disease but appear to have otherwise normal cholesterol levels.
Lp(a) is often tested if you have a family history of early-onset heart disease or sudden death. It should also be tested if your LDL cholesterol doesn't respond well to drug treatment.

Natriuretic peptides
Brain natriuretic peptide, also called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), is a protein that your heart and blood vessels produce. BNP helps your body eliminate fluids, relaxes blood vessels and funnels sodium into your urine.
When your heart is damaged, your body secretes high levels of BNP into your bloodstream to try to ease the strain on your heart. BNP levels may also rise if you have new or increasing chest pain (unstable angina) or after a heart attack.
A high level of BNP alone isn't enough to diagnose a heart problem. Your doctor will also consider your risk factors and other blood test results.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB00016

Blood Tests

BLOOD TESTS FOR HEART DISEASE - I

C-reactive protein C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein your liver produces as part of your body's response to injury or infection (inflammatory response).

Fibrinogen is a protein that helps your blood to clot. But too much Fibrinogen can cause a clot in an artery. A normal fibrinogen level is considered to be between 200 and 400 milligrams per liter (mg/L).

Homocysteine is a substance your body uses to make protein and to build and maintain tissue. But too much homocysteine may increase your risk of stroke, certain types of heart disease, and disease of the blood vessels of the arms, legs and feet (peripheral artery disease). Your doctor may check your homocysteine level if you've had cardiovascular problems but don't have any of the traditional risk factors, such as smoking.

A cholesterol test , also called a lipid panel. The test usually includes:

Total cholesterol: the sum of your blood’s cholesterol.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol: also called “bad” cholesterol. Too much of this type of cholesterol can can allow fatty deposits (plaques) to accumulate in your arteries.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: often called “good” cholesterol, because this cholesterol helps to carry away LDL cholesterol and increase blood flow.

Triglycerides:  are a type of fat in the blood. A high amount of triglycerides indicates that you routinesly eat more calories than you burn off, and are at risk for heart disease.

SPECT test

A single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT)

A SPECT test is another type of radioactive imaging technology. A SPECT scan produces 3-D images that show how your organs work.

A SPECT scan is helpful in diagonosing heart problems such as blockages in the arteries of the heart, chest pain and heart attack.

After the PET scan and the SPECT scan most of the radioactive material that is injected into your body leaves your body in your urine. It is advisable that you drink additional fluids to aid in the tracer leaving your body. Any left-over radioactive material is broken down by your body over the next couple of days.

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test a

·         Stress test  a

·         Nuclear stress test a

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scana

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

PET scan

A PET scan

The PET (positron emission tomography)  scan involves a small amount of radioactive material that must enter your body. This substance will help to reveal what part of your body has an abnormally high or low chemical activity.

When receiving a PET scan to look for indication of heart disease the goal is to see where there might be areas in the heart that have a decreased blood flow. The radioactive material enters your body intravenously. You might feel a cold sensation moving up your arm. This is typical and temporary.

When trying to determine damage to the heart this test is often so indicate if angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery might beneficial.

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test a

·         Stress test  a

·         Nuclear stress test a

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

8 common diagnostic tests for the Heart #5: Nuclear stress test

Nuclear stress test   

A Nuclear stress test may be ordered to help your doctor determine treatments for your condition. A nuclear stress test is similar to a regular stress test (discussed earlier) but it also incorporates the use of a radioactive dye that is injected into your blood stream during the highest activity rate of your heart. This dye travels throughout your veins and enables an image (similar to an X-ray) to be taken of your heart muscle. This image will show where the blood flows freely and where it does not. Any damaged heart tissue or damaged or diseased arteries will also show up.

This test will help your physician in treatment and diagnosis of coronary heart disease, enlarged heart, or other heart disorders. This test also measures your hearts pumping function.

A typical nuclear stress test includes images taken of your heart during high activity and at rest. The first images are routinely taken when your heart reaches its active level, and then another set of images are taken about 2 hours later when your heart is at rest.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseScreening/story?id=4222350

8 common  diagnostic tests for the Heart

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test a

·         Stress test  a

·         Nuclear stress test

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

8 common diagnostic tests for the Heart #4

STRESS TEST

A stress test or an exercise test is used to gather information about how well your heart works when it is exerted.

A stress test may be ordered to aid in diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease (damaged or diseased arteries), or Heart Arrhythmia (irregular electrical impulses of the heart). 

A stress test may also be used to help guide the doctor on the path to treating previously diagnosed heart disorders.

During a stress test you will have electrodes attached to your chest, leg and arm. Tour heart is monitored through an ECG/EKG, and your blood pressure is monitored through a cuff that you wear on your arm.

The test begins by slowly walking on a treadmill or riding a stationery bike. Resistance will increase as the test progresses to raise your heart rate. Tests vary, but ordinarily the desire is to raise your heart rate for approximately 12 minutes in order to thoroughly examine its performance.

8 common  diagnostic tests for the Heart

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test a

·         Stress test 

·         Nuclear stress test

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

ECG

An ElectroCardio Gram is a non-invasive, pain free test that monitors the elecrical currents that cause your heart to beat. It can detect irregularities in your heart rythm that will help the doctor to diagnose any problems. An ECG or EKG can detect:

• Irregularities in your heart rhythm
• Heart defects
• Problems with your heart's valves
• Blocked or narrowed arteries in your heart
• A heart attack, in emergency situations
• A previous heart attack

During an ECG/EKG small electrodes are taped to your chest which read the electrical signals of your heart. The signals are shown as waves on an attached computer screen or printer. ECG's can be read immediately or studied (as they are extensive) and referred to throughout your treatment.

8 common diagnostic tests for the Heart #3

C-reactive protein test

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a normal protein that appears in high amounts in the blood when there is swelling somewhere in the body.

Often, doctors may check your CRP after surgery or after treatment for infections. It is thought that you would have a higher level of CRP if your coronary arteries were narrowed. This test cannot tell your doctor exactly where there is swelling only that swelling is present.

According to the American Heart Associate a CRP test would not be useful if are (once again) in the low or high risk for heart attack as it would not indicate a change in treatment either way. The CRP test can be helpful in aiding diagnosis in intermediate risk patients.

8 common  diagnostic tests for the Heart

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan) a

·         C-reactive protein test

·         Stress test 

·         Nuclear stress test

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

8 common diagnostic tests for the Heart #2

Yesterday we described the Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) as a non-invasive test that measures the electrical impulses of the heart.

There are a total of 8 tests that doctors normally prescribe to diagnose problems of the heart.

8 common  diagnostic tests for the Heart

·         Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) a

·         Heart scan (coronary calcium scan)

·         C-reactive protein test

·         Stress test 

·         Nuclear stress test

·         Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

·         SPECT scan

·         Blood tests for heart disease

Today we will continue our study with the Heart Scan.

The Heart Scan or Coronary Calcium scan provides pictures of the coronary arteries. Doctors use these heart scans to look for calcium deposits that can narrow your coronary arteries and increase your risk of heart disease.

Heart Scans are not for everyone, though. According to The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, if you and your doctor already know that you are either at a low or high risk for a heart attack, a Heart Scan is not going to tell you anything that you  do not already know. The Heart Scan is helpful, however, in diagnosing people that are in the intermediate range. The test will show if there is an unusual amount of Calcium deposits in the arteries, and where they would be.

Heart Scans are often used if you have vague symptoms and other test results have been inconclusive in determining heart disease.

Pregnant women should not have the Heart Scan since the X-ray technology utilizes EBTC (electron beam computerized tomography) which has the equivalent of 33 chest X-rays.

For more information:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-scan/MY00327

During a heart attack, tissue in your heart muscle dies due to lack of blood flow through your hearts arteries. This is how doctors are allowed to determine if you have had a heart attack in the past.
The severity and number of heart attacks will damage your heart irrepairably. As much as your heart can survive a heart attack, the damage tissue will remain.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM00938

(A). The plaques build over time (B) and eventually completely block your arteries and rupture (C), causing a heart attack. Damage tissue dies and your heart remains scarred(D).

Electric Heart Rythm

Your heart has electrical wiring, which keeps it beating. Electrical impulses begin high in the right atrium and travel through specialized pathways to the ventricles, delivering the signal to pump.
The conduction system keeps your heart beating in a coordinated and normal rhythm, which in turn keeps blood circulating. The continuous exchange of oxygen-rich blood with oxygen-poor blood is what keeps you alive.
The primary purpose for circulation is to provide fresh blood and nutrients to the rest of the body. The lungs are a vital part of the circulatory system as they are used to expel carbon dioxide a deadly toxin.