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Feb. 1-7, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
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IT’S A RED ALERT
Learn how to recognize and prevent heart disease in women
BY TIMESLEDGER STAFF
Call it a “red alert” for women!
New Yorkers will “Wear Red
and Give” Friday to help spread the
message that cardiovascular disease
is the number one killer of women in
the U.S.
The American Heart Association
is uniting with communities across
the city to “Go Red and Give” on this
special day to raise awareness about
heart disease and stroke, which
cause one in three deaths among
women each year. Association
statistics also show that despite
an abundance of public-awareness
campaigns, 90 percent of women
have one or more risk factors for
heart disease or stroke.
It’s especially important for
women to recognize possible signs of
heart disease because it can present
itself differently than it does in
men, according to a doctor at Coney
Island Hospital.
“Women are a special population
that have to be watched closely. Just
because you don’t have chest pain
doesn’t mean something is wrong,”
said Dr. Nicholas Brodyn, chief of
cardiology at the medical center.
“Take my own mother. I was away
with my family and called home, and
my father told me my
mother had gone
to bed at 8
p.m., when
she usually
went to bed at
midnight. She
was presenting
with fatigue, tiredness, and
she ended up having severe
multi-coronary disease.”
Symptoms can show
differently, but typically
include chest pain,
exhaustion, weakness,
vomiting, and
indigestion.
And a critical
concern with
women’s health
problems is
that they can
go untreated
l o n g e r ,
b e c a u s e
women may
d ow n p l a y
their discomfort,
according to Brodyn.
“Women typically don’t complain
medically, and they might downplay
their indigestion
or fatigue as
s o m e t h i n g
else,” he said,
adding that it’s
important women
are cautious when
they do have symptoms.
“If there’s exhaustion,
you used to walk five
blocks to the grocery store
to get your newspaper, and
now you drive the five blocks,
there’s probably a reason. Be
suspicious.”
The most important thing
a woman can do to manage
her heart health is see
her doctor for an
annual checkup,
and if something
doesn’t seem right, be
proactive and get it checked
out, Brodyn said.
“If you’re not feeling
yourself, you’re exhausted for
no reason, it’s not a bad idea to get
checked out by a cardiologist,” he
said.
If women suspect something might
be wrong, but are nervous about
seeing a doctor, they should speak to
other women who have gone through
it, as hearing someone else’s story can
help, according to the doctor.
“I’ve been practicing for 30 years,
and I’m amazed patients don’t believe
doctors. Many, many of my patients
who required bypass surgery, or
defibrillators — they believe the
civilian more than the doctor. It’s
easier to believe someone who went
through it than a professional,”
Brodyn said.
It is possible to live a long and
healthy life, the doctor said, as long as
women stay vigilant and remember
that their symptoms can be unique.
“We’re seeing more women living
to 100 and over, but living into the 90s
is still unusual for men. Women have
the benefit as far as longevity, as long
they are conscious they may present
differently than men,” he said.
Join thousands of New Yorkers and
participate in National Wear Red Day
on Feb. 1 by donating to the Go Red For
Women campaign and taking steps to
better understand your heart health.
Spread the word and encourage others
to give by sharing #WearRedandGive
on social media.
SEE INSIDE: A LETTER FROM OUR PUBLISHER (PAGE 13)
Vol. 7 No. 5 48 total pages
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