Women’s heart disease different than men’s

Special to the Green Valley News

“Picture this pump in the middle of your chest; it’s a pretty phenomenal two-sided pump with 60,000 miles of vessels, and we have to respect it,” said Dr. Lorraine Mackstaller, a clinical associate professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and cardiologist at Sarver Heart Center.

At the fifth of the season’s six Sarver Heart Center lectures last week, Mackstaller said cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death.

“If you take all forms of cancer, 250,000 women a year will die vs. 500,000 who will die from all forms of heart disease... it’s 2 to 1.

“Men have heart disease at a younger age than women and usually die younger; women are usually sedentary, diabetic and obese.”

Mackstaller said any problem with the heart and blood vessels that has to do with the delivery of blood is cardiovascular disease.

“High blood pressure is heart disease; a heart attack is heart disease; peripheral vascular disease (blood vessels outside the heart and brain that carry blood to other parts of the body) is heart disease,” she said.

“Women,” Mackstaller said, “are more likely to have sudden cardiac death. We have more microvascular disease vs. clogged arteries in men... women have more heart disease because more women are born than men.

“Women have a higher risk profile, a more acute presentation and at an older age than men... women are rarely given an aspirin in the emergency room,” she said.

Mackstaller named numbness or weakness in face, arms and legs; confusion; vision problems; trouble walking; and a severe headache that some describe as the worst headache of their life among the sudden symptoms of stroke.

She said salt is a killer; it makes arteries stiffer, retains water and makes the heart work harder.

“Kids at age 8 are already developing high blood pressure. It’s a national epidemic; kids are getting fatter.

“Fast foods are salt and fat,” she said. “If you watch your diet for a while you really recultivate your tastes.”

The least expensive way to lesson risk factors is to eat less and exercise, she said.

“Avoid caffeine. If you don’t drink coffee, you could lower your blood pressure,” she said.

Discussing vitamins, Mackstaller stressed the importance of Vitamin D, calcium with Vitamin D and Omega 3. However, studies show that taking vitamins did not prevent cancer or heart disease.

In closing this well-attended lecture, Mackstaller’s message was, “Be very aggressive in treating your risk factors and live a heart healthy life… There is no free ride; there are always risks and benefits.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.

Final lecture

The Sarver Heart Center lecture series concludes at the Canoa Hills Social Center at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. Leslie Ritter’s topic will be “Let’s Talk About Stroke: Risks and Prevention.”