Women's deadliest killers: heart disease

Jan. 18, 2010
Over the next five months, Dental Assisting Digest™ will take a look at the five biggest health challenges facing women, and how you can take steps to avoid or lower your health risks. This month, DAD Editor Kevin Henry interviews renowned cardiologist Dr. Wayne N. Leimbach Jr., who offers some helpful tips and information regarding heart disease, which is the number one killer of women in the United States today.

This month, we launch a series of articles designed with your health in mind. Over the next five months, Dental Assisting Digest will take a look at the five biggest health challenges facing women, and how you can take steps to avoid or lower your health risks.

I recently had a chance to talk to Dr. Wayne N. Leimbach Jr. of the Oklahoma Heart Institute in Dental Assisting Digest’s hometown of Tulsa, Okla. This renowned cardiologist had some helpful tips and information regarding heart disease, which is the number one killer of women in the United States today.

Kevin Henry: Do you think heart disease is still “under the radar” in the minds of most women?

Dr. Leimbach: Absolutely I do. If you asked most women in the United States, they would say that breast cancer was the number one cause of death among women. That’s not true. Breast cancer kills roughly 25,000 women in the United States each year. Heart disease kills 240,000 women in the United States each year. Consider that one in three women will die from heart disease, and one in two women will have cardiovascular disease, and it lets you know how serious this problem is.

Right now, there is a big push from the American Heart Association to make people aware of the prevalence of heart disease. The “Go Red” campaign is one of the ways the AHA is letting women know how important it is to take steps to avoid heart disease.

KH: So what are the steps that women need to take?

Dr. Leimbach: Women have to know the major risk factors for heart disease and what can be done to lower their chances, including:

Blood pressure — The optimal numbers for blood pressure are 120 over 70. Guidelines define high blood pressure as pressures of 140 over 90 or greater, but there is still some risk for blood pressures in the 130/80 to 140/90 range, so you definitely want your blood pressure less than 140/90 to minimize your risk.

Cholesterol and triglycerides (lipids) numbers — Know your numbers and know what is normal. The bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) should be at least less than 130.

Blood sugar levels — Many people are mildly diabetic and don’t know it. It’s a staggering number, but 90% of all diabetics will have a vascular event in their lifetime. If you have any form of diabetes, you have to be more aggressive in taking care of yourself.

Smoking — Smoking makes your body form blockages much more quickly. We can stop blockages in nonsmokers by treating the other warning signs, but we can’t stop formation in smokers.

Physical activity — It has been shown that walking 10 minutes a day, seven days a week will do wonders for your body. I know everyone is busy, but I also know everyone has 10 minutes in their schedules to walk and improve their health. We’re not asking people to climb a mountain or even jog. Simply walk and it will improve your health.

Diet — Salt will make your blood pressure go up, and saturated fats raise your cholesterol. Increasing the fiber in your diet will lower your lipid levels.

KH: I know many people think heart disease is a disease that happens later in life, but that’s not the case, correct?

Dr. Leimbach: Absolutely correct. Autopsies were done on some of the soldiers killed during the Vietnam War and the average age of these soldiers was 22. Of those soldiers, 44% already had blockages being formed. We have scientific data that shows blockages begin forming in our teenage years and finally manifest themselves in our 40s, 50s, and 60s. People always think, “I’ll do it tomorrow” when it comes to heart disease, but the blockages are being formed today. Our health-care system is set up so that you don’t come see me until you’re already in trouble and need my help. We need to take more preventive measures so people don’t have to come see me.

KH: When you say “vascular event,” you’re also talking about strokes in addition to heart attack, correct?

Dr. Leimbach: Yes. The majority of strokes occur when blockages plug up blood vessels to the brain. It’s no different than the passages to your heart being clogged and causing heart attacks. What you do to help prevent heart disease also will help prevent strokes.

KH: What are the main points you want to leave with our readers?

Dr. Leimbach: If you’re reading this, you’re at risk for heart disease. In fact, there’s a 50% chance you will have some encounter with the disease. The good news is that it is preventable. Know the major risk factors and exercise.

There was a recent study performed where the doctors looked at a large group of individuals and looked at their risk factors. Those doctors were able to successfully predict 92% of that group’s heart attacks over the next five years. That shows how important knowledge of the risk factors is for women.

Women can change their destiny. I don’t know of anything more important than that.