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Heartline Magazine July - September 2005
Cardiolink - News From The Cardiac Support Group
The Cardiac Support Group will be hosting the World Heart
Day event on 25th September 2005 starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Ursuline Convent
School Hall. The guest speaker will be Professor Henry Fraser. Other speakers
include Dr Aslem Hennis and Nutritionist Mrs. Beverley Stanford. The event is
being sponsored by Guardian Life of the Caribbean.
Lots of information on heart disease and other health
related matters will be on display. Blood pressure checks will be done. It is
expected to be very informative, so come out and support the group and learn
more about your health.
Visits to patients
During the month of May, the Cardiac Support Group members
visited three invasive surgical patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The
members provided counseling and distributed comfort pillows to assist with their
recovery.
The Warning Sign Of A Stroke
• Sudden weakness or numbness of the arm, face or leg one
side of the body.
• Sudden dimness or loss of vision particularly in one eye.
• Loss of speech, or trouble talking or understanding
speech.
• Sudden severe headaches with no apparent cause.
• Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness, or sudden falls,
especially along with any of the previous symptoms
Some Risk Factors
Risks factors to be considered are:-
Age
Aging itself does not cause a stroke, but it is a primary
risk factor for the disease. Persons sixty-five years and over are affected by
strokes
Sex
At any particular age, men are more likely to have a stroke
than women, even though women tend to outlive men into the older age group when
most strokes occur.
Family History
A stroke is a complex affliction, with multiple risk
factors. Evidence is developing to indicate that some of these risk factors may
be genetic. A susceptibility to hypertension is now thought to have a genetic
component. Studies have indicated that if one parent has high blood pressure,
their children have a one-in-five chance of developing the condition. With both
parents having high blood pressure, one in- three of their children will
probably also be hypertensive.
Obesity May Contribute To Cervical
Cancer
Obesity has been linked to a multitude of health problems,
from increased blood pressure and heart disease to sleep apnea, breathing
problems and gallstones. In women, excessive fat has been shown to increase
levels of estrogen, which can lead to the development of endometrial cancer, a
condition that affects the lining of the uterus.
Height and weight can also contribute to endometrial cancer,
and they are risk factors for cervical cancer, whereas the role obesity plays in
cervical cancer remains uncertain. To test whether obesity may lead to an
increased risk of developing cervical cancer, investigators evaluated at a
variety of potential risk factors in 560 women: 124 diagnosed with
adenocarcinoma (a type of cervical cancer linked specifically to high estrogen
levels); 139 with squamous-cell cervical cancer, and 307 women who did not have
cancer. Among their findings:
• Women who were heavier, had a high body mass index (BMI)
or had fat that was concentrated in the midsection were far more likely to have
adenocarcinma.
• Women with a BMI greater than 30 (considered clinically
obese) and “apple shaped” women (those with high waist-to-hip ratios) were both
twice as likely to develop adenocarcinoma.
• Women with high BMIs had more advanced stages of
adenocarcinoma when they were diagnosed with cancer, even if they received
regular Pap smears.
Although larger studies are needed, these results support
the theory that obesity, like height and weight, may lead to the onset of some
types of cervical cancer. Women who are obese should speak with their physician
about ways to lose weight and the benefits of a healthy, low-fat diet, and
receive more frequent Pap smears to detect the early signs of adenocarcinoma.
Lacey JV, Swanson CA, Briton LA, et al
August 15, 2003 Volume 98
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