12 Percent of People Will Be Diagnosed With This Life-Threatening Heart Disease

The post below first appeared on HuffPost Healthy Living on April 20. Jen Hyde, a 30-year-old poet and artist living in Brooklyn, has a congenital heart defect. By the age of 25, Hyde had two open-heart surgeries, including a heart valve replacement. “I know that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America,” Hyde said. “I’m currently in great shape, but part of staying this way means building a strong relationship with my cardiologist so that the care I receive is preventative, not reactive.” Hyde is not alone in suffering from heart health issues — in the U.S., cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of both women and men, responsible for 25 percent of deaths annually. Heart valve diseases are among the reasons for concern: five million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease every year. The most common heart valve disease is aortic stenosis (AS), a disease in which the opening of the aortic valve is narrowed. AS is a progressive disease and can be life-threatening. People who have developed symptoms from severe AS have about a 50 percent chance of living two years and 20 percent chance of living five years without valve replacement. Among those 75 and older, the prevalence of AS is as high as 12 percent — a number only expected to increase along with life expectancy. Because women generally outlive men, many women are likely to develop AS. Often, heart valve disease goes undiagnosed. Difficulty climbing stairs or being active w...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Chronic Conditions Source Type: blogs