A new study shows heart failure treatment works better in women.

The treatment is called cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator. The defibrillator is an implantable device that helps coordinate the action of the left and right heart ventricles by delivering a small electric shock to the heart. When the device senses abnormal heart rhythms, it shocks the heart back to a normal beat.

In this study, women treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy had a 70% reduction in heart failure while men only had a 35% reduction.

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body. A common cause of this in women is dyssynchrony, where the heart ventricles do not contract simultaneously. The device in this study is the perfect solution to this problem. This and the fact women generally have smaller hearts than men are the main reasons cardiac resynchronization therapy works better in women.

However, to accurately make this conclusion, a new study must examine men and women with the exact same heart disease and no other outlying conditions to influence the outcomes. So for now, all there is strong evidence that women react more positively to heart failure treatment than men.

Researchers have found high systolic blood pressure in middle-aged women is a large risk factor in developing heart disease. They also claim reducing high blood pressure in older women can help them reduce the risk of heart disease.

Three risk factors make up 85% of reversible risk for heart disease in women and men. They are high systolic blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Systolic blood pressure is said to be the most important one. So by reducing high systolic blood pressure early on, it may help prevent heart disease later on. The study also states women all over the world could benefit from these findings.

The study looked at people from 11 different countries throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. 9,257 adults (average age 57, 47% women) were studied for 11 years.  Researchers analyzed individuals for absolute and relative risk for cardiovascular disease associated with systolic blood pressure. What they found out is that older women with high systolic blood pressure were at a greater risk for heart disease.

What this means for physicians and healthcare professionals everywhere are that they need to be more aggressive in their detection, treatment, and prevention of high systolic blood pressure in women everywhere.

Chocolate has many health benefits. Lately, chocolate has been shown to reduce the risk for atherosclerosis and premature death from heart disease or heart failure.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studied over 1,200 older women and the effects of chocolate consumption on them. The participants answered a dietary survey to measure how frequently they ate chocolate. Next, they had ultrasound images taken of their carotid arteries to see any changes in artery thickness.

Chocolate consumption was separated into three categories: less than one serving per week, one to six servings per week, and seven or more serving per week. About 47.6% of all participants ate chocolate less than once a week, 35.8% ate chocolate one to six times a week, and 16.6% ate chocolate every day.

Atherosclerosis is a condition of the arties where blood flow becomes constricted due to hardened arteries. 158 women who ate chocolate only once a week suffered from atherosclerosis. However, 90 women who ate chocolate one to six times a week had atherosclerosis and only 42 women who ate chocolate more than seven times a week had atherosclerotic events.

A second analysis revealed women who had chocolate one to six times a week had a lower rate of ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and less atherosclerotic plaque. Chocolate is rich in flavonoids, a substance known to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. This could be the reason behind the results of the study. Though, everything is better in moderation. So before replacing your entire diet with chocolate, remember to take other steps to improve your heart health.

It is widely known that heart disease is the #1 cause of death for men, but only about one third of women know that heart disease is also the top killer of women in the U.S. (1 of every 3 women die of heart disease). One reason for this lack of knowledge could be that women show different signs of heart attack than men. Signs such as nausea, dizziness, and anxiety are common symptoms of a heart attack in women. Here are some other signs to watch for:

• Chest pain, which can include back pain and/or deep aching and throbbing in one or both arms.
• Breathlessness and/or inability to catch your breath when waking up.
• Clammy sweating.
• Dizziness, including unexplained lightheadedness and possible blackouts.
• Anxiety, unusual nervousness, feelings of impending doom.
• Edema, fluid retention and swelling usually of the ankles or lower legs.
• Fluttering, rapid heartbeats, palpitations.
• Nausea–gastric upset.
• Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.

While heart disease is the #1 killer in this country, it is also the most preventable. So take a little time to know the signs and make the small life changes you can make that can keep your heart healthy such as exercising regularly, eating right, and cutting out smoking and alcohol as much as possible!

Younger women with high work stress have a greater chance of ischemic heart disease according to a new study from Denmark.

Ischemic heart disease is heart problem where the blood flow is constrained to the heart muscle. Almost 4 million Americans may have ischemic episodes, but do not realize it because they do not experience symptoms.

Researchers in Denmark examined more than 12,000 female nurses aged 45 to 64 at Glostrup University Hospital. The nurses were followed for 15 years, from 1993 to 2008. To assess levels of work stress and other risk factors, the nurses filled out questionnaires. Researchers took into account different variables like physical activity to behavior.

60% of the nurses said work pressure was much too high or a little too high. Then over the course of the study, 560 women suffered from ischemic heart disease. Among these women, 369 cases were angina, 138 cases were heart attacks, and 73 were other cases of heart disease.

The study calculated nurses with too much job pressure had an almost 50% increased risk of ischemic heart disease. However, after taking into account other risk factors the percentage dropped to 35%. On the other hand, nurses with slightly too much work stress had a 25% increased risk for ischemic heart disease.  Lastly, nurses with minor or no work stress had no significant risk increase. The surprising part of the study was that only nurses younger than 51 had a major risk of heart disease.

Of course, other factors may play into this finding. Older nurses may have other more important risk factors. In addition, individuals with ischemic heart disease may have already left the field.

The resting heart rate of a woman is a good indicator of heart attack risk. Even after taking in account of other risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, the resting heart rate still proves to be an accurate predictor of heart risk.

According to WebMD, 129,135 records of postmenopausal women who had no history of heart problems were studied by a team of scientists. Their heart rates were taken at the start of the studied and were followed up for the next 8 years. What the researchers discovered were women with heart rates of 76 beats or above had a much more likely to have an heart attack than women with the lowest heart rates of 62 beat per second.

The correlation was still relevant after factoring in physical activity levels, race, high blood pressure, and even cholesterol abnormalities. Then also amending the study for factors that affect heart rate like smoking, body mass index, and other variables, the relationship held steady. The results were more prevalent in women under 65 years of age.

Despite more complex and expensive methods to assess heart risk, resting heart rate is still a straightforward indicator to predict coronary events (not stroke) in post-menopausal women.

Investing time and energy on a low fat diet may result in the short-term loss of weight, but it also isn’t likely to have much of an effect on your heart health or cholesterol levels. New results from one of the largest women’s health studies ever conducted, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), brought interesting results relating to heart health.

According to an article from the April issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which analyzed results from the WHI, low fat diets will not raise or lower your cholesterol; only people who consumed less harmful fats like trans fat and saturated fat had lower risk of heart disease.

Additionally, statistics show that many people who lose weight on a strict low fat diet regain that weight, and sometimes even more when they stop their diet. Regular healthy consumption of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can go a long way, and helps build a strong foundation for maintaining health later in life.

Click here for other misconceptions about low fat diets.

Pain in your legs can be caused by minor leg problems such as sore muscles. This type of pain commonly occurs during sports or recreational activities, and physical work-related projects. Leg problems can be minor or serious and can include symptoms such as: pain, swelling, cramps, numbness, tingling, weakness, or changes in temperature or color.

Older adults have an increased risk for leg problems because they lose muscle mass as they age. Children can always have leg problems for the same reasons as adults or for other reasons like overactivity or the rapid growth of bone and muscle.

More serious pain in your legs could be a problem with blood vessels, and a sign of a cardiovascular disease. Some of these include peripheral arterial disease, inflammation of a vein (phlebitis), or a blood clot (thrombophlebitis). A blood clot near the surface of the skin may cause only minor problems, while a clot in a deep vein may be more serious.

There are many other problems that cause leg pain, see WebMD’s article on leg pain not caused by injury.

To chat with a doctor about leg pain, sign up for NorthShore HealthSystem’s live chat on February 11, 2010 at 12 Noon (CT).

It’s no secret that men and women’s bodies function differently. Even when it comes to the same illnesses, the difference in sex can affect one’s body in many ways. Heart disease is the leading killer in women, but it is still perceived as something men struggle with more. Read more

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