Cardiovascular Disease, Ovarian Cancer | 08/27/2009 9:05 am

Women More at Risk of Death for Certain Cardiovascular Diseases Than Men

And more research shows that women should be on the watch for seven symptoms of ovarian cancer so they can beat the deadly disease before it progresses.

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Here’s another reason to take good care of your heart.

Women are more likely than men to die from some sort of cardiovascular failure within a month of the incident. Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine found that the disparity between the death rates of men and woman can be blamed on factors such as severity and type of acute coronary syndrome — such as heart attack or unstable angina, according to Science Daily. Cardiovascular incidents are the cause of one-third of all deaths among men and women, but the outcome is still worse for women.

Of the more than 136,000 people studied, women were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and heart failure. Men were more likely to be smokers and had in their medical background a higher prevalence of heart attack and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. There was, however, a lower risk for women for some types of cardiovascular disease.

Meanwhile, though ovarian cancer — which develops in about one in every 72 women in the United States, most over the age of 50 — is deadly, new research shows there are many signs women could and should look for that could help them battle the disease. WebMD reports on seven symptoms highlighted by a new study from the United Kingdom.

They include:

* Abdominal distension
* Urinary frequency
* Abdominal pain
* Postmenopausal bleeding
* Loss of appetite
* Rectal bleeding
* Abdominal bloating

”Ovarian cancer is not silent, it’s noisy," lead author William Hamilton from the University of Bristol told WebMD. "It’s just we’re not very good at deciphering the noise."

10 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

When a man complains of chest pain he is treated for possible heart trouble. Men are more likely to survive a heart attack and get further treatment. Women are often sent home or have their complaints dismissed unless they push for treatment. I know of several women who died of cardiovascular disease because they didn’t fit the profile of a person with heart problems. If any woman is experiencing chest pain she should insist that she be checked to be on the safe side. This is not a time to be polite or submissive. If she feels she is being dismissed she should get a second opinion asap.

By Chris Glass` on 08/27/2009 4:00 pm

e-mail alert

I agree with Chris. A heart attack often has subtle or very different symptoms. My neighbor suffered one Sunday with a persistent ache in her jaw. Thinking it was a tooth ache, she decided to wait until the following day to see her dentist. Finally, her husband took her to the ER late that night… she had suffered a heart attack.

We would hope that any woman suffering from abdominal pain or from rectal bleeding would seek medical help immediately. But, we also know that is not possible for women with no insurance and little income. This is why it was so wonderful to see Remote Area Medical in CA… hardly a remote area, but look how many showed up because they had no other option.

This is a good article. It also reminds us why we need health care reform in the worst way. Can you imagine having those symptoms and having no recourse?

By Maggie W on 08/27/2009 4:33 pm

e-mail alert

Maggie, if illegal immigrants can present themselves at an emergency room and get free medical care, why couldn’t this woman go and get free medical care…she is without insurance and income? How does this work for illegals but not our very own American citizens? I’m curious.

By deber B on 08/27/2009 5:22 pm

e-mail alert

I’m with you here. Illegals know exactly how to work the system. They arrive at border hospitals , obviously in labor. American baby on the way, water has broken. They also arrive, obviously in pain from a knife wound, gang related. They arrive obviously in pain from a " mysterious rash" or delusions (drug overdose). They are in and out of that ER within a couple of hours, maybe more. Keep in mind, they are in an ER… and never admitted to a hospital where paperwork is filed. They simply leave. They just get up and exit after treatment. The woman with symptoms ( abdominal pain, tooth ache, ear ache, etc). Well, she goes to the back of the ER line in a border hospital.. where she may wait for hours. During that wait, someone is going to come around with a note pad, wondering about payment and insurance. See where this is going?

Border ERs report they see the same people in the ER as often as 30 -50 times a year…drug related . Babies run a close second.

By Maggie W on 08/27/2009 6:01 pm

e-mail alert

Maggie, so sad…..we honor the illegals with healthcare as needed and yet we ignore good, solid Americans who are in need of care. President Obama needs to fix that….first. You are a teacher of the illegals in our country. I wish you had a platform that would resonate with this administration. We need to rid this country of illegals and pay very special attention to our own…who need healthcare and need that helping hand. Our country needs to be focused on our own….first….and then extend that hand to those who are not registered, legal, Americans. Why can’t we get there? And why won’t this administration address this?

By deber B on 08/27/2009 7:53 pm

e-mail alert

Thank goodness they go to an ED when pregnant, and a ROM is nothing to fret about - but they care about the baby. Isn’t that what a lot of hollering on this site has been about - women not giving life to those they conceive? Can women WIN?

And, if you feared for your safety, escaped to what you perceived as a safe haven nation, and/or needed healthcare, would you "wait around" if you didn’t know the outcome? What they don’t know, most apparently do not, is that in any civilized hospital in the world, we are not ICE agents! Health cames first. And, in most US hospital EDs, time spent triaging cannot detect most ODs, or illegal drug reactions over other serious conditons - so, granted dangerous drug use weighs down emergency care. US drug use is weighing down the health care "SYSTEM," but it isn’t "illegals" who are being found to enter EDs with "drug related" conditions - most are US citizens, b/c they know they can get away with it.

By C jay on 08/30/2009 2:01 am

e-mail alert

I have recently learned a great deal about this subject. A woman presents a heart attack differently from men. Women often think it is heartburn or indigestion.

I have been going to doctor appointments with my mom and have learned a great deal.

So Ladies please be aware! Ask questions and most of all take care of yourselves. You are our mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends. You are important to so many. Take some time to take care of yourselves as well as you take care of everyone else.

By Doe Nichols on 08/27/2009 9:30 pm

e-mail alert

Doe, in most US hospitals, women are not cared for, if they are not insured, or have insufficeint coverage for the age-related expected conditons. if they are under-insured, and 30 they won’t see a IM or cardiologist, and who know who they will see if anyone! The chances of the same "woman" seeing a physican in office is far less.

On that note, more people are daignosed MELANOMA and die from it, than any other disease. So, we need to be realistic when it comes to preventive measures that save lives - it is not only heart disease.

That being said, knowing family history is very important, and if that cannot be found out, at this point in America, people better emigrate elsewhere, to better health care. Things are not looking good in the USA for anyone not fully insured, or 65 and over - unless congress would minimally, remove the for-profit sector from all health care tomorrow, and/or stop Medicare for those earning over $150K/annually - even though we all pay for it, they would not have to - nor should they have to.

By C jay on 08/30/2009 2:07 am