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Heart Failure: Men vs Women
November 18, 2009 |
New numbers are out from the American Heart Association: more than 5 million Americans
are living with heart failure, but it seems to be affecting men and women differently.
“Women tend to have a different kind of heart failure and heart pumping function
than men do,” says Dr. Jesus Mendiolaza, a cardiologist with Lee Memorial Health
System. Heart failure occurs when the muscle becomes weak, and fails to pump out
enough blood. That’s true for both sexes.
But Dr. Mendiolaza says it’s how the blood is pumped that separates men and women.
“Men tend to have more heart failure when the pumping function is down,” explains Dr. Mendiolaza. But for women, it’s when blood is pumped during the relaxation state
that is the most problematic.
This is due to lifestyle factors. “They tend to have more diabetes, high
blood pressure, high
cholesterol, and other factors that make them more prone to have this problem.”
Longevity can also play a part. “Because women tend to live longer, the morbidity
or the affectation of all of these heart disease problems tend to occur at a later
stage in their life and that’s why there’s a discrepancy between men and women when
it comes to heart disease,” adds Dr. Mendiolaza.
Which is why staying on top of your cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings,
and having regular physical exams can help in the fight against heart failure, whether
you’re a man or a woman.
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