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Nancy Loving
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Co-Founder and Executive Director
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease |
A Message on Innovation
The development of new medicines for heart disease in recent years has given women potentially life-saving treatment options. Unfortunately, many women are not benefiting from these treatments either because they are not diagnosed or because therapy is not offered to them. In fact, within six years of a heart attack women are twice as likely to be disabled and twice as likely to have another heart attack compared with men.
The story of one of the many women I have met with heart disease illustrates the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment. Dee knew she was at risk for heart disease. She tried to control her high cholesterol through diet and to stay active, all in an effort to prevent her family history and years of smoking from catching up with her. Unfortunately, her efforts could not prevent a heart attack. On a cold January night she began to feel nausea and abdominal pressure. Even as a CPR instructor she did not recognize that she was having a heart attack. At the urging of her daughter, Dee went to the ER. Fortunately, the ER staff realized what was going on, gave her a “clot buster” medicine and soon sent her for surgery.
Following her heart attack, Dee decided to take control. She quit smoking, started cardiac rehabilitation, began a strict diet, and took cholesterol medicine. After a month her cholesterol level remained just as uncontrolled as the night of her heart attack. Dee recalls being very upset, but, “My cardiologist explained that I was one of those people who would have high cholesterol no matter what I ate. I was frustrated but relieved… I began an intense medication regimen and system of monitoring my body which continues to this day.”
Most women and many clinicians think of heart disease as an illness that primarily affects men. Medicines are a key part of treating and preventing heart disease, however women are less likely to get preventative treatment such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, or even aspirin for their heart disease, as Dee’s story shows.
Currently, heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing nearly 500,000 each year. As the population ages that number is likely to grow. By discovering new medicines and making sure they reach the women who need them, we could save the lives of thousands of women.
Medicines, along with lifestyle changes, can greatly reduce the risk of future heart problems, but there is no guarantee. The families of women who have had heart attacks are all too conscious of the danger. Christopher, the son of one such woman said, “I never knew if my mom would have another heart attack, so every morning I’d wake up and go to her bedroom to see if she was still breathing. During the day I’d get upset if she didn’t answer the phone right away or wasn’t there when I got home from school. I spent my four years of high school worried about my mom every single day.” Better medicines are needed to help improve the odds so women and their families will not have to wonder and worry.
Info on WomenHeart
WomenHeart is the only national patient-centered organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for women living with heart disease. Through our coalition of national organizations and community-based support networks, we offer comprehensive services to women with heart disease and empower all women to take charge of their heart health. WomenHeart is a preferred source of information for public policy leaders and the media. It is our goal that through our advocacy efforts, all women will receive early detection, accurate diagnosis, and proper treatment of their heart disease.
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