Heart Disease and Women (Hana Abdurahman)
Posted by Admin on February 11 2010


Assalam alaikum warahmatulahi wabarakatu: In continuation of our effort to discuss the many aspects of lifestyle change as was introduced in 2009 annual EMC convention, It seems fitting to provide some information about heart disease in regards to women in February, since February is “American Heart Month” (as it was proclaimed since 1963 by Congress). It's a myth that heart disease is a "man's disease." In fact, this disease is the leading cause of death in women—more than breast cancer and the next seven leading causes of death combined. Luckily, simple things like awareness, education, and prevention can save lives.

Extended News
Assalam alaikum warahmatulahi wabarakatu,

In continuation of our effort to discuss the many aspects of lifestyle change as was introduced in 2009 annual EMC convention, It seems fitting to provide some information about heart disease in regards to women in February, since February is “American Heart Month” (as it was proclaimed since 1963 by Congress). It's a myth that heart disease is a "man's disease." In fact, this disease is the leading cause of death in women—more than breast cancer and the next seven leading causes of death combined. Luckily, simple things like awareness, education, and prevention can save lives.
Some facts that we should know about heart or cardiovascular disease and women are:
• 1 in 5 women has some form of cardiovascular disease.
• Not having symptoms of the disease does not mean you are not at risk for heart disease. About two-thirds of women who die of heart disease have no previous symptom.
• The risk increases with age.
• Having type-2 diabetes appears to be a stronger contributing risk factor for heart disease in women than men.
There are different kinds of heart disease, but the kind we should worry about mostly is coronary heart disease. The mechanism of heart attack in simple terms is this: Fatty deposits or plaque build up occurs overtime in the walls of arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, the coronary arteries. This process is called atherosclerosis. This causes a reduction in blood supply to the muscle. In some people this can cause chest pain called angina. Most of the damage occurs when a plaque becomes large, fragile, and ruptures. Plaque that ruptures can block blood flow causing part of the heart muscle to start to die. This is called a heart attack.

Risk Factors: There are two categories: those you can’t change such as increasing age, gender, and heredity (including Race). Also those you can change such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity and overweight.

Major prevention methods include: nutrition and physical activity.
 If we make the effort, we can reduce our risk for heart disease. The right nutrition is crucial. Our Eritrean traditional food (Tsebhe) is often high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and salt. This diet greatly impacts our risk for heart disease. With some modifications to how we prepare our food and reducing or changing the type of oil we use can reduce the fat that we get from Tsebhe.
 The benefits of physical activity do not escape most of us. Its effect on our health and the role it plays in reducing our risk for many diseases including heart disease is widely known. If you’re physically inactive, overweight or both, you increase your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. That’s a high price for anyone to pay — especially since there is so much you can do to protect yourself. If physical inactivity is a big part of the problem (it usually is), the solution is obvious. Get moving. Become physically active. You have the power.
The Islamic Prospective
The best approach in the process of prevention is the concept of MODERATION in eating habits. The Qur'an states emphatically this idea in Surah Al-A'raf (The Heights). "Eat and drink, but waste not by excess, for God loves not the prodigals.” (7:31).
It is mentioned in Surah Taha , Allah(SW) says: “Eat of the good things We have provided for your, sustenance, but commit no excess therein." (20:8 1)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said : "An ounce of prevention is better than a ton of treatment."

This is only a simplified overview of this major disease. We hope to provide more tips that can enhance our understanding of this disease and tips to lower our risks.


Hana Abdurahman