– Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States. Thirty two percent of all women die from heart disease, resulting in the deaths of approximately three hundred and sixty thousand women per year in the United States alone.

– Many women think that breast cancer is the number one threat that they have to worry about to their health. While approximately one out of twenty five women die of breast cancer, an astounding one out of three women are expected to die from heart disease.

– As a woman, one of the most potent methods of preventing heart disease that you can do is to choose not to smoke tobacco. Smoking attacks the heart in many ways, most notably the fact that it makes the heart require more oxygen in order to function properly. While it is important to not smoke tobacco for both men and women in order to prevent heart disease, the problem affects women more than men. Estrogen levels in women are dropped when they smoke tobacco, and estrogen can be helpful in preventing the occurrence of heart disease.

– One factor about heart disease that affects women differently than men is the fact that women are much more likely than men to experience a heart attack without having any symptoms. Also, women are more likely than men to die as a result of a heart attack.

– While women may not be able to feel a heart attack, they are also less likely to experience heart disease at a young age than men. This is due to the fact that female hormones work to prevent heart disease.

– Aspirin has been used as a medication to help those with heart disease for years and years. Due to the drug’s anti-clotting properties, one may be less likely to experience a heart attack by taking aspirin on a daily basis. Women, however, are less able to be treated by aspirin.

– Most women are not as aware of the threat of heart disease as they should be. A national survey showed that approximately thirty percent could accurately assess the threat of heart disease when it came to their personal health and livelihood.

As a woman, there are specific threats from heart disease that need to be considered. Only by learning more about the disease and the affects that it has on the female body can you be prepared for the disease should it occur within yourself or someone that you love. Learn all that you can about the disease, and keep yourself healthy.

There are a number of symptoms that can accompany cardiogenic shock however some patients suffer a few of these while some suffer many. Symptoms include a rapid pulse, a weak pulse (sometimes referred to as thready), breathing that is rapid, anxiety or extreme nervousness, skin that feels cool to the touch and a decreased mental status. Other symptoms include feelings of fatigue, lethargy or general weakness of the body, loss of alertness, loss of the ability to think clearly and concentrate, feelings of restlessness, confusion and agitation, skin that has turned very pale or mottled, moist skin and a tremendous amount of sweating and little if any urine output. Some patients suffering from cardiogenic shock can slip into a coma very easily.

If cardiogenic shock is suspected a doctor will do a blood pressure examination on the patient to determine if the person has low blood pressure, which would be less than 90 for the systolic reading. Also if the person’s blood pressure decreases more than 10 points when they attempt to stand up after lying down for a time this is known as orthostatic hypotension. When this occurs the individual’s pulse may be extremely weak or almost completely non-existent.

In order to properly diagnose cardiogenic shock a catheter will need to be placed in the patient’s pulmonary artery and measurements will have to be calculated. If the measurements show that blood is backing up and making its way into the lungs and that the heart’s ability to pump blood is poor then a diagnosis of cardiogenic shock can be made.

Tests that are often used on patients suffering from cardiogenic shock include coronary angiography, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and nuclear scans. Sometimes even more tests will need to be conducted to further test how poorly the heart is pumping blood throughout the body. Some commonly used laboratory tests include CBC, arterial blood gas, typing and then cross-matching blood in case a transfusion is necessary and lastly, the chemistry of blood which includes chem.-7, chem.-20, electrolytes and cardiac enzymes.

Cardiogenic shock constitutes a medical emergency and the treatment necessitates a trip to the hospital. Cardiogenic shock can prove fatal if not treated immediately. It is also important for medical professionals to determine what is causing the cardiogenic shock to take place.

Besides knowing your blood pressure, you should also know how much you weigh. If you are at a healthy weight then keep it that way and if you need to lose weight to lower blood pressure ask your doctor the best ways to go about that. Weight can have an impact on the onset of high blood pressure and the more your weigh, the worse it can be. Sometimes losing only a minimum of weight, such as for example, ten pounds, is enough to help with high blood pressure.

To lower blood pressure you have to look closely at your diet. Always strive to consume as little saturated and trans fat as possible and that means fried, fatty foods should be keep to a minimum. Eat fish as often as possible, especially cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel and choose lean cuts of meat. Always trim the fat off of meat and never eat the skin (such as chicken and turkey). As well, to lower blood pressure, you need to cut back on the amount of salt you eat. This includes salt that is in food as well as salt that you add as seasoning.

To lower blood pressure give up smoking and avoid excessive alcohol consumption as both of these bad habits can wreck havoc with blood pressure. Exceeding more than two drinks per day for a man and for a woman, more than one drink per day is a no-no.

In order to lower blood pressure you must follow your doctor’s orders by keeping up with your scheduled appointments as well as taking your medicine exactly as it is prescribed. Do not skip doses, or “double up” on doses or stop taking your medication all together. In order to lower blood pressure and keep it at a normalized level you must take your medication as directed.

Always bear in mind that aspirin is a type of drug. Those with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes may require a daily aspirin in order to encourage the flow of blood to both the brain as well as the heart. All drugs though can be harmful and the more drugs you are taking at any given time, the higher the risk of side effects there is. Anyone who is presently taking a prescription medication to thin his or her blood should not take a daily aspirin unless a doctor recommends it. Some dietary supplements serve to thin the blood and therefore it is necessary to let your doctor know if you are taking one of these. Side effects can be increased if aspirin is combined with the consumption of alcohol or with a product such as a cough and sinus drug. Aspirin is not a good course of action for women who are pregnant, or for those who suffer from asthma, peptic (or stomach) ulcers, liver and kidney disease, high blood pressure that is not under control and a variety of bleeding disorders. When you visit other healthcare professionals such as chiropractors, dentists or physiotherapists always let them know that you have been prescribed aspirin to reduce your chances of developing a heart attack or stroke.

Due to the fact that aspirin bottles do not give any instructions in regards to preventing heart attacks, always follow the directions your doctor gives to you in regards to proper use. Do not alter the instructions such as for example taking more than one aspirin per day. If you use aspirin as directed by a physician you are most likely to reap the greatest benefits and also suffer the least amount of side effects. There is more than one type of aspirin so sit down with your healthcare provider and discuss what different types of aspirin products are available and what would be best for you.

When choosing an aspirin product always read labels carefully and make sure that the ingredient “acetylsalicylic acid” is a part of the product you purchase. This is considered to be an “active ingredient.” There are plenty of types of over-the-counter medications that reduce fever and other types that reduce pain that do not contain the ingredient so always read labels carefully.

Aspirin taken on a regular basis, whether it be days, weeks or months can be beneficial in preventing a heart attack, stroke or other blood related problems such as sluggish blood flow or blood vessel disease but if taken by a person with a healthy heart it can prove detrimental to overall health.

The fact of the matter is that taking an aspirin on a daily basis is not the solution for everyone. In people with heart problems doctors may prescribe a daily aspirin to decrease the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood vessel disease, and a variety of other problems related to blood flow. For these people it may prove beneficial whereas the average person with no heart problems could suffer ill effects on a long-term basis from taking aspirin once a day. If you do not have a heart problem, taking aspirin every day will not prevent future problems by any means.

Be aware that every type of over-the-counter medication such as aspirin as well as every prescription drug has both benefits as well as potential risks to the patient who takes it. No one medicine is 100 percent safe. Aspirin for example can lead to some very serious and detrimental side effects such as bleeding taking place in the brain, kidney failure, and bleeding in the stomach and in severe cases, a variety of strokes.

If a doctor prescribes a daily aspirin supplement for you then most people assume that it must be extremely safe to take. Be aware that while doctors are medical professionals they base their diagnosis on the symptoms a patient suffers and not on all aspects of the patient’s life and state of health. As a patient you still have to take responsibility for your own health. Your doctor must consider certain factors before deciding to tell you to take an aspirin a day and it is your job to make sure he or she has all of the relevant information to make an informed decision.

The doctor must take into account a patient’s complete medical history as well as the medical history of the patient’s family members. He must also consider other medications the patient is taking whether they be prescription or over-the-counter. Dietary supplements are also relevant to know about as well and these include herbal remedies, vitamins and weight loss supplements. Any allergies to medications or sensitivities to medications are important for a doctor to make note of and it is important to be aware of what side effects could arise due to taking a daily aspirin. A doctor will not prescribe any medication unless he is fully aware of how it can benefit a patient and being aware of other options that exist, including the risks and benefits is so important.

Treatment for low blood pressure can be undertaken only if the cause of it can be determined. Once the case is identified then the treatment for low blood pressure can be put into effect. Often medications that are used to treat a case of high blood pressure work too well and can bring on low blood pressure in a patient. Often if this is to blame, the treatment for low blood pressure consists of either stopping completely or else decreasing the amount of medication that is being taken for high blood pressure. Treatment for low blood pressure might also involve infections that have gone undetected in the body. Putting the patient on an antibiotic to get rid of the infection can also be treatment for low blood pressure that proves successful. There are some medications such as the sedative diazepam and also amitriptyline which are both prescribed for patients suffering from depression, that can cause low blood pressure to occur in some individuals. In these cases, treatment for low blood pressure must be either a smaller dosage or else trying another type of drug. Often when the cause is identified and removed, the low blood pressure problem goes away as well.

Dehydration sometimes brings on low blood pressure in some people. Dehydration can be due to simply not taking in enough fluids, or bouts of vomiting or diarrhea (especially common when children or adults are suffering with the flu or food poisoning). The treatment for low blood pressure if dehydration is to blame is to get as many fluids into the person as possible, as quickly as possible. Dehydrated people are often very weak and sometimes dehydration can even cause hallucinations to take place.

Treatment for low blood pressure, especially when it is dangerously below the norm, is geared as getting the blood pressure back to a normal rate as fast and as effectively as possible without any further damage taking place. The worst-case scenario as far as low blood pressure is concerned is that it can bring about organ damage due to a lack of blood getting through to nourish the organs. If a person has been rendered unconscious then the treatment for low blood pressure involves both medication and fluids being directed into the patient’s bloodstream by way of an intravenous line. In serious cases, this can be the difference between life and death for a patient with severe low blood pressure.

Following a healthy lifestyle is always smart however there are some people who despite their efforts will still develop hypertension. Hypertension tends to affect people as they grow older and often no one particular cause can be detected. If your blood pressure is high enough to constitute the need for treatment then drugs may be the hypertension treatment that your doctor strongly recommends to you.

If you are prescribed medication as your hypertension treatment by all means continue to take as good a care of yourself as possible. Medications can be helped along tremendously in their effectiveness by good health habits and it is possible that you might need only small dosages to help normalize your blood pressure. Once you have been put on a hypertension treatment plan always take your pills as prescribed and do not suddenly just stop taking them. This will almost guarantee that your blood pressure will go back to the high point it was at before you started treatment or worse, shoot up even higher. Unfortunately the down side of a medicinal hypertension treatment is that once you start it, most people are on the medication for life. There are a number of options as far as drugs for hypertension goes, so if you experience a problem with the one you are taking, discuss it with your doctor and he or she might put you on another one for a trial basis to see how you react to it.

Physicians usually try to find one specific type of medication to suit a given patient. Sometimes more than one medication must be tried before the right one is settled on. Due to the fact that no people are the same, doctors will consider your own particular set of circumstances, such as race, sex, age, medical history and lifestyle. A doctor will look at whether your hypertension is deemed uncomplicated or whether it is not. He will also consider whether you have other health problems that could possibly play a role in the choice of medicine such as a heart disorder or diabetes. He will also look at whether or not you have a particular “indication” or “contraindication” for any known drugs and also what your past medical experience involving hypertension was in relation to the drugs you were prescribed.

It is important for the patient to also take responsibility for his health by watching his weight and making sure that if he puts on pounds that he loses them just as easily. Be aware that weight gain might not be fat if you have suffered from heart failure but instead could mean that you are retaining water and that the heart is not pumping blood as it is supposed to be. Taking the time to weight yourself on a daily basis and to take notice of how you feel is so very essential to your health maintenance.

It is also important fro the heart failure patient to make a list of the medications he is supposed to take on a regular basis and to always have an adequate supply with him (especially when he is traveling). It is essential to limit how much salt and sodium you eat. Never add salt to meals or recipes for seasoning. Smoking is not a good idea for anyone but it is particularly bad for a heart failure patient. Always stay as physically active as you can. It does not matter what type of exercise you do, just do it consistently. You can take a walk, use the treadmill or ride a stationary bicycle just do everything you can to stay active on a regular basis and this will help your heart a great deal. If you weigh too much lose the weight. This last point can never be emphasized often enough. Excess patient is very hard on heart failure patients. Getting enough rest every night is very important, as your body needs time to relax and recharge its batteries. If you have a difficult time sleeping at night then take naps throughout the daytime.

There are a variety of medications that a doctor will prescribe for heart failure and it all depends on the patient’s specific situation as well as what the underlying cause of the heart failure is. The most common types of medications for heart failure include ACE inhibitors such as for example, enalapril and captopril, diuretics to help drain fluid from around the heart, digitalis glycosides, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta-blockers. One your doctor puts you on a specific type of medication keep him or her closely informed about how the medication makes you feel in terms of your day to day life. If one type is not working he may prescribe you another type.

These figures represent the dilemma facing the medical community as the numbers being affected by coronary heart disease are growing rapidly.

Advances in technology have helped to find medical treatments to help combat the amount of people dying with this condition every year. Below is a list of surgical and non-surgical treatments that can be carried out to successfully alleviate coronary heart disease.

Non-surgical treatments

Aspirin - Aspirin may seem like a strange choice of treatment for coronary heart disease, but it is actually a very strong medication for use against this condition. Aspirin actually thins the blood so it makes it more difficult for the blood to clot in the arteries, this can dramatically reduce the risks of a heart attack.

Beta-blockers - This medication is great for reducing a person blood pressure and heart rate. The effect this can have on a persons body is quite astounding, because the blood pressure and heart rate have lowered, the heart will not demand so much oxygen and it will reduce the strain on the heart, which will help combat the chances of a heart attack.

Nitroglycerin - Nitroglycerin reduces the hearts demand for oxygen and dilates the coronary arteries improving the blood flow that carries oxygen to the heart. Nitroglycerin can be administered in the short term through an oral spray, or long term through tablets and skin patches.

Surgical treatments

Coronary angioplasty - A sturdy tube is passed through an artery found in the leg or arm and an extremely thin guide is passed through the tube all the way through the body to the coronary artery. After this has been completed a smaller tube, with a balloon on the end, is threaded through the artery in the leg or arm, over the guide, and into the coronary artery. Once in place the balloon is inflated to improve the flow of blood around the body by widening the artery.

Atherectomy - Part of the coronary disease is a build up of inflamed tissue in the artery, called plaque. When the plaque becomes more solid in texture a coronary angioplasty cannot be done so an Atherectomy has to be completed instead. During Atherectomy surgery the surgeon will remove the plaque by cutting it away with a special tool or using a special laser to burn the plaque away.

This procedure is carried out in much the same way as the Coronary angioplasty by gaining access to the coronary artery through the arm or upper leg.

There are other surgical treatments that can be carried out for Coronary heart disease like Brachytherapy, which is a type of radiation therapy where a tiny source of radiation is placed in the artery to kill the plaque tissue. Another surgery is implanting a stent, which is a small metal tube with holes into the artery to stop the artery from narrowing for a period of time.

The first stage of heart disease is denoted by a higher rate of cholesterol than normal found present within the blood stream. Cholesterol is a substance that is present in many different animal products, and the buildup of cholesterol levels can result in the development of plaque within the arteries that are around the heart. The arteries will begin to become harder than they were before and less likely to be able to transport blood in and out of the heart.

In stage two of heart disease, the arterial plaques that are beginning to be accumulated begin to become more and more evident. Eventually, the clumps of cholesterol begin to resemble an open wound, and the body calls white blood cells into the area in order to repair the damage that has been done. In doing so, a hard coating is formed on top of the cholesterol. Blood flow may be constricted in stage two, and a symptom may occur in which the afflicted individual feels a sense of squeezing inside the heart. It’s a symptom that is known as angina, and it can be excruciatingly painful.

Stage three of heart disease occurs when blood is trying to squeeze itself past the hardened deposits of plaque into the heart. By doing so, it may place pressure on the plaque, causing it to rip off the top of the plaque. When this occurs, blood platelets will start sticking to the plaque. This can result in complete arterial blockage, cutting off the blood supply to the heart. When this happens, a heart attack may occur.

The problem with heart disease is that some people do not experience sensations of angina within the second stage. For that reason, it can be tough to diagnose heart disease until stage three happens and a problem such as a heart attack or stroke occurs. To that end, you need to take care to ensure that you are taking as many preventative measures as you can within your life. That means that you should not smoke cigarettes, you should engage in a proper diet, and you should maintain a healthy level of exercise. If you have a problem with heart disease, it’s important to remember that there are several different things that you can do to correct the problem. Angioplasty and bypass surgery are two options for correcting the problem, but they are often only undertaken after a major problem such as a heart attack or stroke occurs.