Myocardial infarction. The number one killer of women

CHD is the number one killer of men and women. Men and women need to be educated about the warning symptoms of CHD and MI to assist in earlier diagnosis and treatment. Women need to be taught about the variety of factors that may affect their risk for CHD. All women should be counseled about the importance of primary and secondary prevention, as those with low probability of disease may some day have some form of cardiovascular illness, and those with high probability of disease may prevent or lessen the effects from an infarction. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is a study that may answer many of the unresolved questions about women and MI. The WHI was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1993 to address negligence of women's health by the major federal research agencies. It is the largest study ever funded by NIH. Forty centers throughout the United States will follow 163,000 women for a 10-year-period to determine how to prevent heart disease, breast and colon cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. The age range of women is from 50 to 79 years old. This study will have a major impact upon care of women for these varied conditions. While waiting for the answers to questions about treatment and prevention, we must use what information is available to us now. Women report for care later than men and often do not receive the same therapies and treatments, thus we need to become advocates for the female patient. We need to also assess the social support and caregiver availability that women have at home. If the situation is inadequate then community resources need to be accessed. In addition, follow-up care is essential. Because many women have complications of CHF and shock with their infarcts, we need to assure adequate follow-up. Transportation for the follow-up may also need to be provided or arranged since women's caregivers may be unable to drive their spouses to the doctor's office. Also, single, older women may be unable to use public transportation with ease. We can address the needs of the female population with CHD if we make a thorough assessment and individualize their plan of care. In today's world of health care, meeting an individual's needs is an ongoing challenge because the length of stay is shortened and resources are tighter. Creativity is often needed to adequately meet the assessed needs. In the future, MI may not be the number one killer of women. Preventing the onset of the disease or decreasing the risk of a reinfarction by empowering women may have an impact. It is hoped that the information given in this article could help the health care worker educate and empower women about this disease.