Showing posts with label Microvascular Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microvascular Disease. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Women's heart disease tied to weight and waistline

"Despite education efforts, heart disease is still a leading cause of death in American women. So how do you protect yourself and your loved ones? 'I was in perfect health,' said Louise Bell. 'I took no medication. I was an aerobics instructor. I worked out an hour a day, five to six days a week.' Bell, 47, was a picture of good health. As a flight nurse, her job was to save other people's lives. One day, that all changed. 'I was sitting at my computer early one morning and I just had a crushing pain across my chest,' she said. 'When I felt the pain, I stood and then I sat down and I couldn't get back up.' Bell was having a heart attack, the first of two she would have in just a couple of days time. She had no warning signs and no risk factors. Doctors later told her it was the result of a congenital heart problem called Microvascular Disease, when small blood vessels going to the heart are blocked or have a decreased blood flow" - NBC