Heart attacks in women - an article from a local online paper

This is an important topic within cardiac rehabilitation and the article below is a very interesting read...

Ruth is one of our lovely members who attends the face-to-face phase IV cardiac rehab classes in the community. Leading an active and healthy lifestyle, last year, a little out of the blue and not too obvious in its presentations she had a heart attack. In the following months she has worked herself back up to a good level of fitness and activity. She shared her story of the day and what followed with a local online paper.

Check it out below.

https://www.hihub.info/features/how-to-save-your-own-life/

"Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK every year, and it was the biggest single killer of women worldwide in 2019. Despite this, it's often considered a man's disease". [1]

Leading a healthy lifestyle and doing what we can to stay active, maintaining a good weight, eating well and making good decisions in regards to alcohol and smoking can all help reduce the risk of such events - but we are all susceptible and age, ethnicity, family history all play a part too.

Recognised modifiable risk factors for CHD - Something you can work on... include:

• Smoking

• Hyperlipidaemia

• Hypertension >130/80

• Inactivity <150 minutes of moderate exertion

• Obesity >30 BMI

• TIIDM

• Fibrinogen levels

• Excess alcohol >14units /week [2]

Click the link below to see the list of common heart attack symptoms:

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/heart-and-blood-vessels/conditions/heart-attack

Ref:

1. The British Heart Foundation. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/women-and-heart-attacks

2. British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR), 2017.