Chronic conditions should not be ignored
The Life Bedford Gardens Hospital emergency unit is open 24-hours a day in the event of a medical emergency.
Women’s Month is a great opportunity to highlight cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other circulatory diseases in women.
CVDs are the leading cause of death for women globally.
According to the latest report by The Lancet Commission on Women and Cardiovascular Disease, based on data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study, approximately 275 million women with CVD, with seven million dying of CVD annually around the world.
Ischemic heart disease (47% of CVD deaths) and stroke (36% of CVD deaths) are the leading causes of death in women worldwide.
Despite the increased awareness, only 56% of women globally recognise that CVD is a threat to their health and do not do enough to combat this.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa is dedicated to empowering women to take care of their heart and brain health by adopting healthy life choices and healthy behaviours.
In South Africa, the proportion of CVD deaths in women aged between 35 and 59 years is one and a half times more likely than that of women in the United States, according to the World Heart Federation.
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Moreover, women aged 55 years and younger are more likely than men to die within a year of their first heart attack (Harvard Health Publishing, 2016).
Women with heart disease are frequently neither accurately diagnosed, nor do they receive the right health care, in a survey conducted by the American Heart Association.
About half of the women interviewed knew heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, yet only 13% said it was their greatest personal health risk even though heart disease kills six times as many women than cancer every year.
High blood pressure (HBP) is the single largest risk factor for CVD in women, followed by high body mass index (BMI) and increased low-density cholesterol (LDL).
HBP increased BMI and raised LDL cholesterol are also genetic risk factors for both males and females.
Furthermore, there are gender-specific risk factors that only or primarily affect women, leading to poor CVD health outcomes.
Gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia are examples of risk factors specific to women.
Hormones, especially oestrogen, may also play a role in protecting women from heart disease, which suggests a woman’s risk for heart disease increases after menopause due to a decrease in oestrogen.
In low- and middle-income countries, it is important to be mindful that socio-economic factors come into play, leading to poor health outcomes.
These risk factors, such as unemployment, poor mental health, lack of information, cultural and racial disparities, are also associated with poor cardiovascular status and overall poor health.
Other recommendations for prevention include tackling inequalities, diagnosis and treatment of CVD in women.
It also includes educating healthcare providers and patients on early detection, scaling up heart and brain health programmes in highly populated and underdeveloped regions and prioritising research on CVD in women.
Life Bedford Gardens reminds readers that even during a pandemic, chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and blood pressure should not be ignored. The Life Bedford Gardens Hospital emergency unit is open 24 hours a day in the event of a medical emergency.
A team of specialists on call are available to provide quality care in any medical emergency.
For more information on Life Bedford Gardens Hospital and the services on offer, contact 011 677 8500 or email Chantelle du Plessis at chantelle.duplessis@lifehealthcare.co.za
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