Proctor and Johnston are among untold millions of American women who are in stressful work settings. Data suggests that those women are more likely than other working women to have a heart attack or other forms of heart disease.
In the Women’s Health Study, based in Boston and sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, researchers have tracked 17,415 apparently healthy women health professionals over the past four decades. Among those who reported high job strain, researchers found a 40 percent increase in cardiovascular disease overall and an 88 percent higher risk for heart attacks. (“Strain” is defined as demanding work with little decision-making authority or ability to use one’s creativity and skills.)
During 10 years of follow-up, there were 134 heart attacks, 125 strokes, 342 heart bypasses and stent procedures and 40 deaths. These are small percentages in the overall study group, Amidon cautioned, and findings are not definitive when it comes to stress. “This in no way proves stress causes heart disease. You’ve got to look at all the different variables,” he said. “Stress is not an independent risk factor, but the more stressed you are the more likely you are to smoke, drink, be overweight, be sedentary or have diabetes.” That lifestyle often leads to plaque in arteries, which can bring on a heart attack.
The spectrum of heart issues extends beyond plaque. Some people in stressful settings have no heart condition whatsoever, yet their heart is where they feel intense pain. Another anomaly brings on all the symptoms of a heart attack in a patient with a highstress event but no blocked arteries. Amidon called it Tako Tsubo Syndrome – Japanese for “squid trap” – named for the shape the heart transforms to under this event. It’s commonly referred to as apical ballooning syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy.
But whether it’s high blood pressure, clogged arteries or a fullon heart attack, cardiovascular issues are nothing to ignore. Take control where you can. Stress and heart health are largely about making good decisions. Good stress motivates you to accomplish things. Bad stress paralyzes your will and can transform you into what Amidon calls a potato-chip-eating, cigarette-smoking couch potato. Honestly, Amidon said, he isn’t so sure there’s even such a thing as bad stress or good stress. “It’s how you deal with it, the way you channel those things and make decisions,” he said. “Channel it into a productive outcome.”
Be Heart Smart Common risk factors for heart attack and coronary artery disease: - Estrogen deficiency (post menopausal women as well as middle-aged men) - Diabetes - Family history of coronary artery disease - High blood pressure - Increasing age (over 65) - Smoking - Too much fat in your diet - Unhealthy cholesterol levels (high LDL, low HDL)
Heart attack symptoms: - Chest pain, severe or mild, that feels like a tight band around the chest, bad indigestion, something heavy sitting on your chest, or squeezing or heavy pressure; pain may move
to your arms, shoulders, neck, teeth, jaw, belly or back - Anxiety - Cough - Fainting - Light-headedness, dizziness - Nausea or vomiting - Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast) - Shortness of breath - Sweating Good advice: - Channel stress to constructive, not destructive behaviors - Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood sugar
- If you’re having symptoms, see a health professional immediately Let Barbara Proctor’s and Skeeter Johnston’s experiences be a guide: “They didn’t know so they came here,” Rocky Mountain Heart and Lung Cardiologist Thomas Amidon, M.D., said. “The ER didn’t know so they called me. I didn’t know so I catheterized them. One had a heart attack and one had gas … If you think you’re having symptoms, don’t take a chance. I’d rather send somebody home with heartburn than have them stay home with a heart attack.” Learn more: http://health.nytimes.com/health/ guides/disease/heart-attack/overview. html?inline=nyt-classifier
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