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As reported in the April 1997 issue of New Women's Movement:
Women's Healthcare, women make three-fourths of the health
care decisions in American households and spend almost two
of every three health care dollars, approximately $500 billion
annually. More than 61 percent of physician visits are made
by women, 59 percent of prescription drugs are purchased
by women, and 75 percent of nursing home residents over the
age of 75 are women.
"Women are often the caretakers of the health care needs
of their children, spouses and extended family members," says
Susan Weinstein, R.N., Director of Women's Health Education
at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. "It is important that in
their effort to prevent illness in family members, that they
do not neglect their own health. In today's busy society
where women often juggle child-rearing and a career, personal
health can sometimes take a backseat."
Be Heart Smart
It may surprise some to learn that the leading cause of death
for American women is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Last
year, CVD claimed the lives of approximately 500,000 women,
50,000 more women than men. Women typically develop CVD
up to ten years later than men; however, female heart attack
victims under age 50 have greater death rates than men
of the same age.
"Women's symptoms of cardiovascular disease may present
differently than men's," says Gary Rogal, M.D., Chief of
Cardiology Services for Saint Barnabas. "Women most often
experience angina as the initial and subsequent symptom
of CVD, whereas in men, heart attack and sudden death are
often the first symptoms. Women are also likely to have more
subtle or atypical symptoms, such as indigestion, abdominal
or mid-back pain, and nausea and/or vomiting."
Early detection of heart problems can make all the difference
for women. The American Heart Association recommends that
adults age 20 and over should have their blood cholesterol
checked at least once every two to five years, depending
on an individual's heart disease risk factors. If accurate
HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride measurements
are available, they should be checked at the same time. In
addition, an annual physical should include a hypertension
screening and blood pressure check.
Breast Health
When the Society for Women's Health Research asked which
health concern they feared most, breast cancer was the
number one response for women. The American Cancer Society
reports that finding breast cancer as early as possible
greatly improves the likelihood that treatment will be
successful. Early detection tests for breast cancer save
many thousands of lives each year and more lives could
be saved if even more women and their health care providers
took advantage of these tests.
The American Cancer Society provides the following recommendations
for early breast cancer detection:
- Women age 40+ should have a screening mammogram every
year.
- Between the ages of 20 and 39, women should have a clinical
breast examination by a health professional every 3 years.
After age 40, women should have a breast exam by a health
professional every year.
- Women age 20+ should perform a breast self-examination
(BSE) every month.
"Through the use of mammography, clinical breast examination
and breast self-examination, women have the best opportunity
for reducing the breast cancer rate," says Linda Danieu,
M.D., medical oncologist of The Cancer Center of Saint Barnabas
Medical Center.
Cervical Cancer Update
Another form of cancer that can be best fought with early
detection is cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society's
research shows that this form of cancer can usually be
found early by having regular Pap tests and pelvic examinations.
Early detection greatly improves the chances of successful
treatment.
Annual pelvic examinations and Pap smears to check the pelvic
area both internally and externally should begin at age 18
or when a women becomes sexually active. During this exam,
the health care professional feels the ovaries and uterus
for size, shape, and consistency. Cervical cancer deaths
are higher in populations around the world where women do
not have access to routine Pap tests.
"Despite the recognized benefits of Pap test screening,
not all American women take advantage of it," says Robert
Taylor, M.D., Associate Director of the Division of Gynecological
Oncology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at Saint Barnabas. "Between
60 percent and 80 percent of American women with newly diagnosed
invasive cervical cancer have not had a Pap smear in the
past five years, and many of these women have never had a
Pap test."
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