"Every time we turn around, we find more gender differences, so it's important to study," said Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist...
How politically incorrect can you be? I hope Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz isn't a man.
Posted on 04/17/2006 10:58:10 PM PDT by neverdem
Kim Kachmann-Geltz did everything right. She ran five miles a day, dutifully ate oatmeal and wheat toast, stayed slim, never smoked. Her blood pressure was perfect. Her genes, she thought, were lucky: her great-grandmother had lived to 102.
"I'm the last person in the world I could ever imagine having heart disease," said Ms. Kachmann-Geltz, of Hilton Head, S.C., who is 39 and the mother of three children.
But since 2003 she has suffered from angina, chest pain caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart. In addition, one chamber of her heart has shown signs of enlargement, and her heart valves do not work properly. She takes four heart medicines and may eventually need more. Even with the drugs, chest pain keeps her from running. She walks instead, and does yoga.
"It's not a death sentence," she said. "You don't have to live your life depressed."
But her outlook is a mixed message. She describes her prognosis as good and yet also says the disease may shorten her life.
"We just don't know," she said. "That much has been made clear to me."
Her case is unusual: angina more often strikes older women. Still, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in women over 25, killing more than 250,000 a year in the United States. Before they reach their 60's, women are less likely than men to develop heart problems, but once the disease does occur, women often fare worse than men....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"Every time we turn around, we find more gender differences, so it's important to study," said Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist...
How politically incorrect can you be? I hope Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz isn't a man.
Thanks. This is timely for me.
Hi neverdem,
I just posted to the thread for Judy as she approaches her death--(it's scary to even write that--God bless her!) So sad.
Anyway, I clicked a link to her list of posts and saw this thread.
This is an issue (perhaps) for me. I have been having chest pain off and on, but consistently, for about a year now.
I have tried to read about "typical" chest pain symptoms to see if my symptoms matched. They never really did...until I found some information about microvascular angina. I have yet to see the cardiologist because I have been dealing with skin cancer and, having gotten that resolved, hoped to get better health insurance. So I put the chest issues "on hold".
Do you mind if I ask if this is something you are dealing with? Is there a web site you know about that might be of interest to me regarding this issue?
Thanks for anything you can share.
Prayers for Judy and her family. It must have been such a shock--no matter that they warn you of possible serious risks with these procedures.
kg/Nancy
I'm a family practice doc.
Is there a web site you know about that might be of interest to me regarding this issue?
On microvascular angina in particular, no. Here are some general reference links for the public.
PubMed links to the professional literature. You could try entries such as (microvascular angina and women), therapy for a start. I would look at Review articles first. If you find an article that looks promising, look near the title to find the "Related Articles" link.
Sad post just from a few days ago eh neverdem.
hmmm..dang
It's a real kick in the teeth. Say a prayer.
Thank you. I'll do just that.
I'm glad you posted this for Judy - she had surgery and had complications - her son wrote FR to say she wasn't going to make it. Many of your medical stories have been comforting - for her - for many of us. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.