Health Problems in Hispanic American/Latina Women: Heart Disease

Heart disease is a group of diseases of the heart and of the blood vessel system within the heart. Coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart disease, affects the blood vessels (or coronary arteries) of the heart, and causes angina and heart attacks. Angina is a pain in the chest that happens when a part of the heart does not get enough blood. It feels like a pressing or squeezing pain, often in the chest under the breastbone, but sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Unlike a heart attack, angina seldom causes permanent damage to the heart. During a heart attack, you can feel chest pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts longer than a few minutes, or comes and goes, spreading pain to one or both arms, back, jaw, or stomach, or cold sweats and nausea. Some women don't have these symptoms but may have other symptoms, such as an upset stomach, burning feeling in the upper abdomen, and lightheadedness. If you have any of these symptoms, call 911 or see a health care provider right away. A heart attack can cause permanent damage to the heart and maybe even death. Heart disease is the main cause of death for American women. Heart disease risk and death rates are higher among Mexican Americans partly because of higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, not exercising, and smoking all put women at risk for heart disease. You can help prevent heart disease by not smoking, and by controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight.

Publications

For Your Heart - This portion of the NWHIC web site will escort you through a short, confidential survey of questions about your health and lifestyle. Based on your answers, it will provide you with a series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure and other factors that affect you and your risk for heart disease - all tailored to your needs.

Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes - Learn to cook some of your favorite, traditional Latino dishes in a heart-healthy way. This bilingual cookbook contains 23 tested recipes that cut down on fat, cholesterol, and sodium but not on taste. These delicious recipes are destined to become family favorites. Aprenda de cocinar sus favoritos platos tradicionales latinos con menos grasa, colesterol y sodio. Este libro bilingüe con sus 23 recetas le ayudará realizarlo. Disfrute de estas recetas deliciosas.

Guide to Assessing Your Risks for Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (Copyright © American Heart Association - This health risk awareness quiz focuses on heart attack and stroke and allows you to assess your risk for heart disease and stroke. Included is a stroke risk scorecard, and questions to ask your doctor.

Higher Risk Factors for Hispanic Women Require Added Attention to Heart Health (Copyright © AHA) - This publication highlights the risk factors for developing heart disease and stroke that are present among hispanic and latina women. It provides links to spanish and english publications for women about both heart disease and stroke.

La Verdad Acerca del Corazón de la Mujer - Este folleto es una pieza clave en la campaña nacional "La Verdad Acerca del Corazón", creada por el Instituto Nacional del Corazón, los Pulmones y la Sangre (NHLBI, por sus siglas en inglés) para educar a las mujeres acerca de las enfermedades del corazón. El folleto contiene testimonios de mujeres que han sufrido enfermedades del corazón, provee información acerca de los factores de riesgo y también contiene una lista de preguntas que debería hacerle a su medico.

Stay Young at Heart - Cooking the Heart Healthy Way - Carrot-raisin bread? Barbecue chicken? Baked pork chops? Heart-healthy pumpkin pie? Sound too good to be true? The 12 recipes in this packet will convince you that healthy dishes can also be delicious. Each recipe also lists total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories per serving.

<>Organizations

American Heart Association

CDC's WISEWOMAN™ - Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Heart Truth: A National Awareness Campaign for Women about Heart Disease, The

Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS

WomenHeart - National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease