Heart Disease in Older Women

Introduction

Cardiovascular disorders (CVD) or heart diseases are the leading cause of death among women. Recent statistics have shown that one out of three deaths in women is associated with CVD. In 2013, there were about 398,086 women died from heart diseases (Garcia et al. (2016). Although there has been a general decline in cases of CVD-related deaths the figures are still higher for women compared to men. Older women are at higher risk of deaths due to CVD. Recent studies have focused on factors contributing to the higher risk of deaths associated with CVD in older women compared to men and how the problem can be addressed. This study assesses various factors contributing to higher incidences of heart diseases in older women than in men and how the problem can be addressed.

Hypothesis

• Increasing awareness of the factors contributing to the prevalence of heart diseases in older women can help in minimizing the mortality rate among older women.

Objective

• The main objective of this study is to examine various factors contributing to higher deaths due to CVD in older women.

Specific objectives

• To examine the effect of misdiagnosis of CVD on the high prevalence of heart diseases in older women.
• To examine the effects of age on high prevalence of heart diseases in older women.
• To evaluate how lack of adequate education on diet, lifestyle, and understanding of unique warning signs of heart disease in women contribute to high incidences of heart diseases in older women.

Research Questions

1. What is the effect of inappropriate diagnostic procedure for CVD on the prevalence of heart diseases among older women?
2. How does inadequate education on heart diseases risk factors contribute to the higher rate of heart diseases in older women?
3. How does age contribute to higher risk of heart diseases among older women?
4. How does a poor lifestyle and health lead to high risk of heart diseases in older women?

Purpose of the Study

Despite heart disease being the major cause of deaths among older women, various researches have given little or no attention to this issue. CVD affects both male and female, but there various risk factors relating to women that exacerbate the condition leading to higher women morality and especially among the older women (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). The high incidences of heart diseases in older women have significant social and economic implications to the nation. The heart diseases cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars every year while the loss of loved ones has significant social implications (Garcia et al. (2016). Majority of the women suffering heart diseases are aged above 50 years. Over 50 million people in America are women aged above 50 years and this underpins the significance of increasing awareness about the causes and prevention of heart diseases to minimize death in older women.

Many people are not aware of the risk factors of heart diseases among older women.  There are various risk factors among women that may cause heart diseases to include diabetes mellitus, smoking, hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity and hypertension (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). The older women are likely to have one or more of these risk factors that predispose them to CVD. Similarly, older women rarely undergo aggressive treatment for optimal effects associated with hypertension, blood pressure and other conditions increase the risk of deaths related to heart diseases. According to Garcia et al. (2016), about 55% of women are unlikely to participate in clinical research compared to men. Studies have demonstrated that unlike men, most women do not get preventive treatment or guidance on therapies for lowering lipids and therapeutic lifestyle changes when experiencing CVD (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). Increasing awareness of various risk factors and how to manage the conditions is essential because it can help older women to avoid some of the conditions that enhance the occurrence of heart diseases. Furthermore, older women rarely exercise or take health foods due to lack of awareness of the risk associated with poor lifestyle and health. There has been increasing awareness of risk factors associated with heart diseases in women since 1997, and consequently, the CVD-related deaths have been decreasing since that period (Garcia et al. (2016). Therefore, adequate education is crucial to enable older women to manage their lifestyle to minimize the risk of heart diseases.

The goal of this study is to increase awareness of the challenges that lead to higher risk of heart diseases in older women compared to their male counterparts. It will ensure more people are aware of various risk factors associated with heart diseases to help minimize the number of deaths due to heart diseases in older women.

Conclusion

Older women are at high risk of developing heart diseases that could lead to death compared to male counterparts. Older women are less likely to undergo treatment or participate in activities that could help them minimize the risk of heart diseases. Physical exercises, eating healthy foods and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle as well as undergoing rigorous medical screening can help in reducing incidences of heart diseases in older women.  Increasing awareness of the risk factors leading to high heart diseases can help in reducing the number of heart diseases among older women.