Basic HTML Version
A
“The most common cause of
heart disease in women is plaque
buildup, known as coronary artery
disease, or CAD,” says Sherri
Brandhorst, RN, cardiopulmonary
nurse. “This plaque is distributed
more throughout the body in
women than in men.”
Recognize the signs
The most common sign of a heart
attack in both men and women is
chest discomfort. Most heart attacks
involve discomfort in the center
of the chest that lasts more than
a few minutes or that goes away
and comes back. It can feel like
uncomfortable pressure, squeezing,
fullness or pain.
Many women, however, are
more likely than men to experience
other symptoms, such as short-
ness of breath, nausea and vomit-
ing, and jaw pain with or without
chest pain. Women are also more
likely to report unexplained fatigue,
sleep disturbances, indigestion and
anxiety.
Quick treatment of a heart at-
tack is crucial in order to minimize
heart damage. If you or a loved
one experiences symptoms of a
heart attack, don’t delay. Call 911
immediately.
AN ESTIMATED
42 million American
women live with car-
diovascular disease.
Too many are un-
aware of the threat
they face. In fact,
heart disease is the leading cause
of death among American women,
and five times as many women
die of heart attacks each year as
die of breast cancer. Twice as
many women die of heart disease,
stroke and other cardiovascular
diseases as from all forms of cancer
combined.
“Heart disease is often viewed
as a man’s problem,” says Lisa
Price, manager of Kadlec Regional
Medical Center’s CardioPulmonary
Rehabilitation Program. “However,
each year more women than men
die of heart disease.
“Women often don’t think the
symptoms they are feeling could be
heart problems,” she adds. “Women
tend to ignore the symptoms, or
they assume they are from non-
cardiac causes.”
Cardiac events are fatal more often
for women than for men, and women
are more likely to be severely dis-
abled by a stroke or congestive heart
failure after a cardiac event.
CARDIOPULMONARY REHAB
Helping our
patients heal
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is an
important part of the healing process
for people who have had a heart or
lung event.
Patients who enroll in cardiopulmo-
nary rehab have an individual program
mapped out for them to improve their
overall physical and mental health.
The program includes exercise and the
nutritional, educational and psycho-
logical components of recovery.
Kadlec CardioPulmonary Rehab
specialists help patients set goals and
monitor progress.
For more information
about the program, call
509-627-6258
.
HEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION
healthy
heart
women
AND HEART DISEASE
www.kadlecmed.org
A service of Kadlec Regional Medical Center–Tri-Cities
Spring 2011
Mollie McGregor has seen the
benefits of the CardioPulmonary
Rehab Program at Kadlec and
has lost more than 100 pounds.