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Women with Heart
Suburban cardiologist receives honors for heart health advocacy
By Janice Youngwith
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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| This year's Go Red For Women Luncheon chairs are Amelia Huntington, president & CEO Juno Lighting Group, and Sandra E. Burke, director CV Systems Research, Abbott. |
Dr. Diane Wallis, suburban cardiologist and long-time American Heart Association volunteer/heart health advocate, will be honored with the prestigious Women With Heart award at the organization's annual Go Red For Women luncheon Friday, Feb. 29.
"Women are not little men and their risk factors for heart disease aren't necessarily identical to men's," says Wallis, a member of the Midwest Heart Specialists group practicing locally at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove. She also is a nationally-recognized expert on women and heart disease. She currently serves as governor of the Illinois chapter of the American College of Cardiology and is a member of the American Heart Association Metro-politan Chicago Board of Directors.
"Heart disease and stroke kill more women each year than men, and more than 70 percent of women have more than one risk factor," Wallis says.
Presented annually to a woman exemplifying the energy, passion and power of the Go Red For Women movement and who demonstrates a personal commitment to living a heart healthy lifestyle, the Women of Heart recipient is nominated and selected by American Heart Association leadership and a committee of past award recipients.
'Awareness is the issue'
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| Dr. Diane Wallis |
According to the American Heart Association, Wallis' observations are on target. Statistics indicate women are six times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer and that most women under 55 who have heart attacks don't recognize the warning signs.
Knowing the warning signs and making everyday choices for heart health can mean the difference between life and death, especially for women, Wallis notes.
"Awareness is the issue," Wallis says. "Women don't always suffer the classic chest pain that grips the chest and spreads to the arms and jaw. Some may, but others just don't have the same experience. Symptoms may be vague or even ignored. Some experience chest pressure, while other women may have shortness of breath, fatigue or jaw pain. Our goal is to shorten the time from heart attack to recognition and lifesaving medical care."
Vague symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, unexplained weakness, clammy skin, paleness or swelling of the lower legs and ankles are what make diagnosis more difficult, she says.
Wallis says saving hearts and saving lives means speeding the time from attack onset to angiography and intervention.
"There are pockets of great success within the state," she notes. "But actually getting people to the door means a great deal of variability. Opportunity for survival and success is diminished when diagnosis is delayed."
Wallis says a number of special pilot studies and working groups of emergency care and cardiac specialists are seeking solutions. "Everything from equipping ambulances with electrocardiogram machines and transmitting vital heart data at the scene to establishing a statewide system of cardiac care and recognizing various levels of capability are being discussed."
Women, especially, she says need to take heed of their heart health, paying special attention to risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes (especially among women with weight issues) and metabolic syndrome a combination of high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure and being overweight.
"Women are well-versed in understanding the need for an annual mammogram, but few are aware of the need for having blood lipids levels, blood pressure checks and a complete cardiovascular profile every year," she notes. "It's vital for every woman to know her numbers!"
Wallis says women in their 50s and 60s aren't necessarily those who need to hear the message. "I recently had a 29-year-old woman present with a heart attack.
"Today's lifestyles mean younger women who smoke, are obese, fail to get needed exercise and who take birth control pills now are at risk, too. According to the recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, heart rates are trending upward over time and the need to focus on younger and younger women is here."
Targeting cardiac awareness efforts
Raising awareness is just part of the package, says Sandra Burke, Ph.D., director of cardiovascular system research at Abbott Vascular and co-chair of the upcoming Metro Chicago Go Red for Women luncheon.
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Healthy Goals for Women
Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (bad) Cholesterol: LDL cholesterol goals vary.
For people who are at low risk for heart disease, the goal is less than 160 mg/dL.
For people who are at intermediate risk for heart disease, the goal is less than 130 mg/dL.
For people at high risk for heart disease including those who have heart disease or diabetes, the goal is to keep LDL below 100 mg/dL.
HDL (good) Cholesterol: 50 mg/dL or higher
Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL
Blood Pressure: Less than 120/80 mmHg
Fasting Glucose: Less than 100 mg/dL
Body Mass Index (BMI): Less than 25 Kg/mē
Waist circumference: Less than 35 inches
Exercise A minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days of the week.
Eat a balanced diet emphasizing a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, fish, legumes and sources of protein low in saturated fat (e.g., poultry, lean meats and plant sources).
Don't smoke if you smoke, stop.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor.
If a healthy diet and regular exercise is not enough to reduce your risk of heart disease, ask your doctor about medication and take it as prescribed. Even if you take medication, a healthy diet and exercise are important.
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"It's true that women's symptoms aren't necessarily as classic or straightforward as men's when it comes to heart disease and heart attack," explains Burke, whose 20 years of research efforts focus on everything from myocardial infarction and ischemia to drug-eluding stents, thrombolytic clot-busting drugs and reopening clogged coronary vessels. "Men often show classic symptoms such as sweating and describing pain in the left chest while women present with the more vague symptoms of fatigue, weakness, tiredness or mild palpitations."
Often uncertain themselves, women may delay seeking heart-saving treatment. According to the experts, symptoms frequently go unnoticed, unreported and untreated.
A member of the American Heart Association Greater Midwest Affiliate and the Metro Chicago boards of directors, Burke says heart disease and stroke kill nearly one-half million women each year, many who don't recognize early warning signs and whose concerns aren't taken seriously.
Her observations are supported by data from the American Heart Association's recent scientific forum on quality of care and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke, indicating that young women with heart disease account for more than 40,000 hospitalizations each year.
Diseases of the heart in young women account for 16,000 deaths annually, ranking it among the leading causes of death in the age group, according to study authors.
Go Red For Women luncheon plans
Educating all women about heart disease and stroke, and empowering women with the knowledge and tools to take positive action to reduce their risks of heart disease and stroke is the goal of this year's Metro Chicago Go Red For Women luncheon, says Amy Huntington, president and CEO, Juno Lighting Group, Des Plaines, and event co-chair.
Nationally sponsored by Macy's and Merck and locally by Abbott Laboratories and other local partners, the event will attract more than 600 women to its educational sessions, workshops, health screenings, a special breakfast panel discussion, cooking demonstrations, a heart-healthy luncheon and to hear messages of survival, support and hope.
Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association's national call for women and by women to take charge of their health and to live stronger, healthier lives. Go Red For Women combines style with substance, and the red dress and the color red have become well-known American Heart Association symbols for women and heart disease.
The Go Red for Women campaign mobilizes communities, Huntington says, to increase awareness, generate funds for research and engage a Chicago-area alliance of organizations as stewards for the Go Red message.
"The red dress is a symbol of the Go Red movement and is designed to encourage women to become more in tune with their heart health," Huntington says. "It's time for women to take positive action to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke and to protect their health."
Huntington is no stranger when it comes to heart health issues.
"Everyone has a family connection to heart disease," she says. "Even in my own family, blood pressure and cholesterol issues are at the forefront."
With an ambitious $650,000 fundraising goal, Huntington and Burke expect record attendance and increased momentum for the cause in 2008.
"Women are not immune to heart disease and stroke," Burke says. "Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women over age 25, and together heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of nearly a half million women each year."
Dollars raised during the Go Red For Women movement fund women and heart disease research, educational materials and community programs for women, raising awareness in women, advocating for increased funding of women and heart disease research and initiatives, and educating health professionals and their patients about women and heart disease.
Since taking the helm at Juno a subsidiary of Schneider Electric in 2006, Huntington says raising cardiac awareness and inspiring others to take charge of their cardiac health has been a passion and part of a major focus on healthier lifestyles.
"At the corporate level, we're using the Schneider model of promoting healthy lifestyles as a blueprint for success," she says.
"Our partnership with the American Heart Association means more than simply participating in an annual Start! Heart Walk fundraising event. We're also structuring a healthy lifestyle program featuring a variety of incentives to promote health club memberships and foster a healthier workforce."
To join the movement or order a free red dress pin, call the American Heart Association at (888) MY-HEART or visit www.GoRedForWomen.org.
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