Heart attack and stroke prevention in women

Each year more than one million women all over the world have heart attack issues, its common mostly in men but am deliberating more on heart attack and stroke prevention in women. Stroke is another fatal sickness that causes disability and like the third leading cause of death for women and men.

                                              ## HEART ATTACK AND STROKE IN WOMEN

most people continue to believe that heart attacks represent a problem that occurs majorly in older men, yet heart disease is the number one deadly disease of both men and women in the united states. The difference is that among men, the risk of heart attack increases after 45years of age. However they believe that younger women and men can’t have heart attack is a big lie.
Each year, nearly 500,000 Americans experience either their first or second stroke, and more than 15% of them are fatal. Women than men have strokes, and they are more likely to die because of their weak hormones.

                                                          ## WHO IS AT RISK

Knowing or finding out factors that increases chances of either a heart attack or stroke is the first attempt in preventing this deadly sickness. As an individual if you possess any of these factors it is advisable to visit your doctor or your hospital so as to take necessary measures to reduce the risk.

                                                            ##  WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS? 

In most cases, a heart attack or stroke is caused by a small blood clot lodged within the blood vessels resulting to either the heart or brain. Lack of blood causes injury in the body system which worsens overtime, therefore fast attention to the situation is of utmost importance.
The signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke will be listed below but before listing them, we should be informed that this symptom differs from an individual to another and may increase with time. If you are not sure of the symptoms it is advisable to visit or seek medical advice than to wait.

                                                      ## WARNING SIGNS FOR HEART ATTACK

1. SHARP HEADACHE

2. SUDDEN WEAKNESS OF THE LIMB ON ONE SIDE

3. FREQUENT DIZZINESS

4. SUDDEN LOSS OF VISIONS

                                                ##  WARNING SIGNS FOR FOR HEART ATTACK
   

5. Pain in the chest

6. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: one or both arms or in the back, neck, jaw, or stomach

7. Short breath, either with chest discomfort or alone

8. Other signs include nausea, breaking out in cold sweat.

                                                   ## RISK FACTORS FOR STROKE
   

9. High blood pressure

10. High level of cholesterol

11. Hereditary history of stroke

12. Smoking

13. Birth control pills

14. Failure in the heart

15. Excess alcohol

16. Prior stroke or heart attack

                                     ## RISK FACTORS FOR HEART ATTACK
    

17. Smoking

18. Diabetes

19. High blood pressure

20. Heart failure

21. Age

22. Physical inactivity
    Being familiar with factors that increases the risk for either a heart attack or stroke is the first step to prevent it.

                                                      ## PREVENTION OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE
    

23. Either reduce or its best advisable to stop smoking

24. Get involved or engaged in physical activity

25. Either maintain or reduce weight

26. Control level of blood sugar

27. Take aspirin as adviced

28. Limit the intake of alcohol

                                                  ## HOW AWARE ARE YOU?
    

A recent American Heart Association sponsored telephone survey of more than 1,000 women who were over 25years of age found that only 1 of every 3 women correctly identified the warning signs of stroke. Awareness of heart attack risk is low nationwide but was particularly low among Hispanic and black women.
There has been an improvement in the level of notifying citizens,mostly women over the best decade. Some educational programmes has been in place to teach people on how to prevent those at greater risk.

                        ## HOW CAN I REDUCE MY CHANCES OF HAVING A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE?

Rather than considering heart and blood vessel as a thing of the world; condition, the medical society now looks at a continuum of risk that requires intimate appraisal by healthcare builder’s. your physician can stand the chance of having a heart attack or stroke according to risk predicted charts and can optimize tactics of preventing care.it very Important every women to see the practical role that they themselves have been playing to prevent heart attack and stroke by following a healthy lifestyle.

                                                 ## IS ASPIRIN FOR EVERYONE?

In low doses, aspirin reduced ‘’sticking’’ of blood platelets to one another, preventing blood clots. A study of nearly 40,000 initially health women 45 years of age or older 13 found that aspirin (100 milligram every other day) reduced the risk of a first stroke by nearly 25% and in women of over 65 years of age, it decreases the likelihood of both heart attack and stroke. On the flip side, aspirin increased by 40% the risk of bleeding within the stomach and intestine, is a known side effect.

                                     ## WHAT IS THE TAKE HOME MESSAGE FOR WOMEN?

Low dose of aspirin reduces heart attack of women that are of more damage and those over 65years age. The balance of benefit with the risk of bleeding must be weighted carefully for each individual and discussed with a healthcare professional.
It must be emphasized that women with a prior heart attack or stroke are known to benefit from daily aspirin

                                                       ## ARE ALL THE ANSWERS ABOUT ASPIRIN?

The availability, low cost and identified benefits of aspirin makes it a bone of contention and importance in public health. Women that have low tendencies of having heat attack or stroke; aspirin don’t really have any effect in them. Similarly, it has been known that women with high risk benefit from aspirin.
There are some questions that do trend and remain unanswered:

1. What is the role of aspirin on women at intermediate risk?

2. What is the safest and most effective dose of aspirin?

3. Does the optimal dose of aspirin differ from one person to another?

4. Do the protective effects of aspirin differ between women and men? If so, how can the difference be explained and translated to health care?

5. Can a simple blood test like C-reactive protein identify healthy people who are likely to benefit from aspirin?
   These answers require additional research and series of test…..

                                                              ## FOOTNOTES
   

The information listed in this write up is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.
REFERENCES

1. Joint commissions on Accreditation of health care organizations. Information about the joint commission and quality health care for the general public available at: http://www.jcaho.com/general+public
2. American stroke association. Available at: http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtmi?identifier=1200037.
3. American Diabetes association available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3000416.
4. American heart association. The heart profilers available at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3000416.
5. Us department of health and human services treating tobacco use and dependence. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/treating_tobacco_use.pdf.
6. National heart, Lung and blood institute. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesityob_home.htm.
7. National heart, Lung, and blood institute. National cholesterol education program: third report