Heart Guidelines Revised to Better Reflect Real Life

Article: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/15/heart-guidelines-revised-to-better-reflect-real-life/

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, especially among women. The disease has been steadily rising among the most prevalent diseases for many years and the numbers continue to grow. The American Heart Association is now beginning to take new approaches to the prevention of heart disease by looking at the type of patients doctors regularly treat instead of the participants in clinical trials. Many of the participants of clinical trials are usually healthier than actual patients doctors see on a regular basis, so the American Heart Association is adjusting its recommendations for prevention and tailoring them more specifically for each individual. Not one list of things to do will work for every patient, so doctors are starting to individualize the treatment and prevention of heart disease. I believe this can also be applied to the community and calculating risk factors and preventative measures that could be taken by people within a community.

Public education of the risks that lead to heart disease are very important so that people that may be more susceptible can take necessary precautions. Everyone knows that being overweight and not exercising can lead to heart disease, but it is just as important to know that women that have had preeclampsia or rheumatoid arthritis also have an increased risk for heart disease. It is necessary to educate certain ethnicities of their risks to certain diseases. For example, African American women have high risk of hypertension and Hispanic women are particularly at risk for diabetes.

Women have to be extremely conscious of taking preventative measures because research shows they are much more at risk than men. 55,000 more women than men die from stroke each year. These preventative measures often have to be looked at by public health officials in the same way we were looking at our behavioral changes in class today. The same barriers exist for those trying to overcome their risk for heart disease as for those of us trying to exercise or eat fresh fruit. Women from lower income communities may not have the available resources to eat healthy all the time or exercise regularly at a gym. Not that the lack of a gym membership prevents exercise, but it is just another thing that can make a behavior change less convenient. Also, many women that are just trying to support their family and barely can get by are not going to be as willing to give a lot of thought to a disease that they do not even have and may never have. They are going to prefer to focus on the real pressing problems that have to be dealt with every single day. How do we find and educate them about things that can be done for their health without taking time out of their lives or costing any money?

There are many barriers to overcome in fighting this problem of making women aware of the risk they are at for disease like heart disease. Many people do not have health insurance and will not have the luxury of going to the doctor until they are actually sick. Educational programs need to be set up in the communities where high percentages of people do not have health insurance. What are some ways to make the general public aware of risk factors and preventative measures without a physical doctor visit? Heart disease is a killer disease, but it is also one that has many preventative measures. It should not take a doctor visit to make everyone aware of some of the simple steps that can be taken to prevent this disease, because honestly every single person is at risk. Overcoming the barriers to behavioral change is difficult for many people, but preventative measures that are more tailored to certain people is a good way to make these changes seem more attainable, and ultimately achieve a healthier population.