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Scientific studies say that more attention is needed for the fair sex, both in prevention through the control of specific risk factors that have a greater weight in women, and in therapies, both by the woman herself and by the health professionals who follow her. And most importantly, if the doctor indicates necessary care to check risk factors, first of all hypertension and cholesterol, the woman must follow the prescriptions, without “skipping” the treatments, perhaps due to family commitments. In conclusion, we think about our heart, first of all with a healthy life and then, both before and after a possible heart attack, by taking drugs, perhaps exploiting the effects of a polypill that contains active ingredients against various risk factors, to reduce the risk of “forgetfulness “. To remember him on the day dedicated to women is, of course, one cardiologist, Giovanna Geraci, Medical Director at the Cervello Hospital in Palermo.
The specific risks for you
Overweight, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, cholesterol and high blood pressure, diabetes. All these are risk factors that must be kept in mind in a preventive key, but they do not “affect” the two sexes in the same way, as confirmed by a research published in the Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine and conducted by specialists from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. This “difference” must be kept in mind. “In general, women tend to underestimate cardiovascular risk, focusing above all on the danger of” cancer “because there is the misperception that the estrogen protection of fertile life is maintained even after menopause, while it is not so “- explains the Geraci. “And often they don’t know that there are conditions, among the risk factors, which seem to have a greater impact on women, such as hypertension and diabetes. In addition, a history of problems in pregnancy, such as a rise in blood pressure or increases in blood sugar that may be resolved, should always be kept in mind because even after years it can leave “traces” on the heart. For this reason it is essential that the gynecologist relates to the cardiologist and that the woman is “followed” over time in this latter aspect “. Then there is another risk factor that cannot be underestimated and is much heavier in terms of cardiovascular health for women: depression. “We know that depressive pictures are more frequent in women than in men and unfortunately it presents itself both as a possible” contributing cause “to the development of a heart attack and as a” result “of a heart attack” – continues the Geraci. “The result is that the woman in these circumstances therefore tends to have a psychological condition, also linked to chronic stress, which on the one hand leads her to underestimate any problems (it is not for nothing that women arrive on average later than men for urgent care for heart attack, also because they may have less “classic” symptoms more frequently) and on the other hand involves less attention to prevention and treatment prescribed by the doctor. In this sense, women tend to be less “adherent” to therapies, when it is essential, in primary and secondary prevention after an event, to follow therapies to stay healthy and live longer “.
How to improve adherence to care
“We don’t think we are always perfect, let’s take better care of ourselves instead of burdening ourselves with the burden of being a” caregiver “, that is, assisting others: in a nutshell, let’s love each other more to we preserve heart and arterial health”- is the appeal of the Geraci to all women. “We maintain a healthy lifestyle and above all we follow the treatments that are prescribed to us, always remembering that our heart must be protected and that heart diseases are the main” killer “of women. It is essential, in this key, to take the tablets that the doctor prescribes, every day, regularly. Adhering to treatment means having a better future, in well-being, rather than risking more heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Even after such an event, continuing to fight risk factors with drugs, avoiding “forgetting” treatments or taking them occasionally, means not only giving “years to life”, but also “life to years”. In this sense, the use of pills that contain different active ingredients for the control of various risk factors, such as hypertension and cholesterol, becomes an effective weapon to overcome therapeutic “forgetfulness” and continue to protect the heart and arteries “. This recommendation is crucial. In a study published in the aforementioned journal and conducted in Lazio and Tuscany in men and women who followed different therapies for health problems, women regardless of age are less and less adherent than men. Only in very old age is adherence almost low in both genders. This is a trend to fight for women’s health: because March 8 is truly a feast for the mind and heart.
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