Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Summer 2013 - (Page 8)

THE WAY TO A WOMAN’S HEART HEALTH Know the symptoms and when to call for help A recent American Heart Association survey showed that 47 percent of women would not call 911 right away if they experienced heart attack symptoms. This doesn’t surprise board-certiﬁed cardiologist Sonia Baker, MD, of UM St. Joseph Cardiovascular Associates. “Women are the caretakers who put everyone else’s needs ﬁrst. One weekend, I saw a woman in the ER who was diagnosed with heart failure. When I told her that she would need open heart surgery in the next week, her ﬁrst reaction was that she wouldn’t have enough time to cook and freeze a week’s worth of meals for her husband to eat.” WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE “Cardiovascular disease, which includes both heart attack and stroke, is the leading killer in the U.S.,” says Dr. Baker. Pressure in the chest, brought on by activity or stress, is a major symptom. And, “if it wakes you up at night or happens at rest, that’s a really bad sign,” adds cardiologist Daniel Plotnick, MD, also with UM St. Joseph Cardiovascular Associates. But often heart disease is silent. 8 MARYLAND’S HEALTH MATTERS HEART ATTACKS CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT MAJOR BLOCKAGES “The majority of people who suffer heart attacks have blockages of Sonia Baker, MD 50 percent or less that wouldn’t be picked up in a stress test. Small plaques that do not limit blood ﬂow to the heart can rupture and cause a heart attack. Stress tests look for a 70 percent blockage or higher within a heart artery. “That’s why physicians encourage Daniel everyone to modify their risk factors Plotnick, MD for heart disease,” says Dr. Baker. “This includes watching one’s weight, exercising, eating right, not smoking, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.” Stress management is important, too, and she recommends methods such as meditation, yoga and relaxation techniques. WOMEN’S SYMPTOMS MAY DIFFER FROM MEN’S The classic heart attack symptom is described as “feeling like an elephant is sitting on your chest,” says Dr. Plotnick. Yet women’s symptoms often  Learn the keys to surviving a heart attack at stjosephtowson.com/mhm and search “Heart Attack http://www.stjosephtowson.com/mhm

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Summer 2013

Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Summer 2013
Contents
A Healthy Start
In Good Hands
The Way to a Woman’s Heart
'We Give Parents Hope’
At a Glance
News and Events

Maryland's Health Matters - St. Joseph - Summer 2013