Women & Heart Disease

Many women underestimate the threat heart disease poses to their health. Heart disease is this country's number one killer of women. Yet, in a recent survey, 50 percent of women replied that they still considered cancer their greatest health threat. Only 13 percent cited heart disease as their biggest concern.

Health campaigns over the past decade have promoted heart disease prevention by encouraging people to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol, change their diet and exercise habits, quit smoking, and improve their medical care. However, many women are missing this message. A recent study of 1,820 people hospitalized for heart attacks showed that the heart attack rate for men dropped by 8 percent, while heart attacks in women increased by 36 percent.

Heart disease is caused by the gradual buildup of plaque (made of fat, cholesterol and other substances) on the inside walls of the coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Over time, the plaque deposits grow large enough to narrow the arteries' inside channel, decreasing blood flow to heart muscle. If the plaque becomes unstable and ruptures, a blood clot can form at the rupture site and block blood flow altogether, resulting in a heart attack.

HEARTaware and Heart Scans

Click here to take HEARTaware, an online health risk evaluation. If your online evaluation shows you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, a St. Mary’s Early Detection Center nurse will call you (with your permission) and offer you a more detailed screening test using a CT scanner to obtain your calcium score. Calcium scoring measures calcium buildup on artery walls and is a highly reliable predictor of heart disease.

To see if you are eligible for a heart scan contact St. Mary’s Early Detection Center at (865) 545-7393.