Carlsbad Women Warned About the Dangers of Heart Disease
3/7/2018
This article was written by Adrian Hedden. The author can be reached at (575) 628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter. This article originally appeared in the Carlsbad Current-Argus on 2/28/18 and can be found here.
Heart disease kills more women in America than anything else.
And about 10,000 women under 45 suffer heart attacks every year.
Cardiovascular problems in women are caused by stress, especially as women age and take on stress factors such as advancing careers or raising a family.
Amanda Ryan, interventional cardiologist at the Carlsbad Medical Center, warned a room full of local women, during a talk Wednesday at the Pecos River Village Conference Center, on the dangers they face as women.
"Heart disease is an epidemic in the southwest," Ryan said. "It's definitely an epidemic in New Mexico."
Ryan pointed to the diets of New Mexicans, largely consisting of favorites such as beans and tortillas, as a large factor in the area's heart disease problems.
A seemingly strong and active person, such as an oilfield worker, could be harboring a hidden threat to their heart and cardiovascular system, she said.
"We have a lot of people that are active, but their diets are heavy in carbohydrates," she said. "People might not look like everyone's image of someone with heart disease."
The event was the finale of a month of events hosted by the medical center related to heart health among women.
With the addition of the center's cardiovascular rehabilitation program, which can treat patients after a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke, or following surgery, Ryan said Carlsbad's heart treatment options are beginning to improve.
"To think it's happening to people my age means to me that we have a serious lack of primary, basic care is some areas," she said. "The whole cardiovascular program in Carlsbad has advanced tremendously."
In closing, Ryan warned the women in attendance to pay attention to early warning signs of stroke or heart attack, such as dizziness or slurred speech.
She encouraged women experiencing the symptoms to call for assistance, worried that many are more likely to call 911 for a husband or child than themselves.
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