Feb 6, 2009 4:33 pm US/Central
Doctors Warn Women Of Heart Disease Dangers
Thousands Of Free Screenings Offered For Women Across Country
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the country. (File)
CBS
She's only 45, fit, active and healthy enough to have just given birth. So heart disease was the farthest thing from Birte Jorgenson's mind, until right at the end of her pregnancy.
"I was having heart palpitations, and then when I would go upstairs I would get kind of out of breath, pretty severe though almost to the point of I couldn't walk," Jorgenson said in an interview with CBS station WCBS-TV. "Then I started having blackouts."
Jorgenson was suffering from a serious arrhythmia. Her case is a reminder that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S.
Women often think they're immune from heart disease, experts say. Their doctors may not take symptoms in women seriously enough, partly because women can experience heart disease differently than men.
Dr. Margaret Furman of the Beth Israel Medical Center, says women show atypical symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and trouble breathing.
Women need to think about preventative treatments, Furman says, even when they have normal screenings.
"Seeking out care of a physician to control the modified risk factors including the treatment of high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and exercise in general," Furman said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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