Matters of the heart

WHEN it comes to matters of the heart, it seems British women don't want to know the truth. A recent report revealed that two-thirds of women do not realise that heart disease poses a greater risk to their well-being than any other health problem.

Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse and spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation, isn't surprised by the findings: "Heart disease is still seen as a male condition.

Younger women, especially, aren't aware it could affect them."

She says 65 per cent of women are worryingly unaware that they're four times more likely to die of heart disease than cancer.

"Heart disease is not the one we hear about in the media," says Ellen. "Both women and men are more frightened of cancer. We have terrifying images of body parts being removed and hair loss."

The British Heart Foundation aims to reduce the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease in the under 75s by at least half within the next ten years.

In order to achieve this goal both sexes need to stop taking their hearts for granted, but there are additional concerns about the ignorance among women.

Ellen says: "Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol and taking more exercise could prevent heart disease for a lot of under 65s. But many people aren't aware of this."

Myths surrounding heart disease prevent people from making those crucial changes so next month the British Heart Foundation are running a Help A Heart campaign to fund essential research to help fight the condition and also to raise awareness.

Ellen says that many assume a heart attack is a one-off event.

"They think that once it's over, you go back to normal," she says, "but an attack indicates you have heart disease which is a chronic condition. Unlike cancer, you can't cure it. Once the heart muscle is damaged, it's usually permanent."

Heart disease can lead to other conditions such as heart failure.

Ellen says: "There are different grades of seriousness of heart failure. Mild, and you'll be able to lead a fairly normal life although you'll be on a lot of medication.

But if you've got severe heart failure you may be housebound.

"Heart failure can mean episodes of acute breathlessness when the lungs will fill with fluid, the sufferer will have decreased mobility and will also develop abnormal heart rhythms - one of which may potentially be fatal."

As men and women get older the chance of their developing heart problems increases. But this fact has lead to further confusion among women. For years Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) was been prescribed to post-menopausal women, to help protect them against heart disease.

But in 2002 a wide-ranging study showed that HRT might actually be increasing a woman's chance of a stroke.

One of the easiest ways to look after your heart is look at what you eat. This week food company Benecol launched Women Against Cholesterol; a campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers of high cholesterol.

A recent survey conducted by the company showed that three quarters of British women have no idea they are at greater risk once they have been through the menopause.

Dr Rosemary Leonard, GP and women's health expert, said: "Many women wrongly believe that men are more prone to high cholesterol, when in fact women over the age of 55 have a higher average cholesterol level than men of the same age.

"There is also a belief that those who are overweight are at greater risk, but high cholesterol can be found in anyone, whatever their shape or size. Lastly, some people have the misconception that lowering cholesterol has to involve medicines, while in fact simple diet and lifestyle changes can significantly help to lower cholesterol."

Studies show that a small reduction in cholesterol levels can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 25 per cent.

Dr Leonard points out: "The first and possibly most important step is encouraging men and women to get their cholesterol level tested."

IN this country, over two thirds of both men and women have a total cholesterol level above the desirable level of five mmol/l. (MMOL/L being the abbreviated form of millimoles per litre, a term used to describe how much glucose is present in a specific amount of blood.) Although our bodies need a certain amount of cholesterol to perform efficiently, too high a level can lead to heart disease.

Dr Jenny Crilley, a consultant cardiologist who works at Darlington Memorial Hospital, said: "I think the problem is more serious in the North-East because a lot of women smoke, are overweight, take little or no exercise and have other risk factors such as diabetes linked with obesity. There is also a strong genetic component in the region."

Dr Crilley said in general terms it was more difficult to diagnose coronary heart disease in women than in men.

"Their symptoms are not as easy to diagnose as in men and for the same severity of problem fewer women end up having bypass surgery. The problems women have are taken less seriously than men."

Dr Jim Hall, consultant cardiologist at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where most heart patients go to have bypass surgery, said: "Under the age of 70 I would say around three-quarters of patients I see are men, but once you get over that age you see equal numbers of women. We are now treating older patients and I suspect that the proportion of women having bypass surgery will increase."

* Next month the British Heart Foundation launches its Help A Heart campaign to raise £1.5m towards research. For more information go to www.bhf.org. For information about Benecol's free cholesterol testing go to www.benecol.co.uk