Sunday 13 March 2016

5 DISEASES WOMEN NEED TO WORRY ABOUT

HEART DISEASES



heart diseases kills more women than all the cancers put together, yet few are aware of the risks they run of collapsing from a heart attack or a stroke. true, the female hormone oestrogen protects young women from from heart diseases, but smoking, diabetes and abnormal blood lipids neutralize this protection, as does menopause. women who smoke, for example risk having heart attacks 19 year earlier than those who don't. 
heart attacks are also more often misdiagnosed or missed in women than in men because many dont experience the textbook symptom of chest pain. instead, they may just experience extreme weakness that feels like the flu, shortness of breath, nausea/ vomiting and back, arms or jaw pain. this result in fewer receiving life- saving beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin after a heart attack that increase survival. as many as 38 percent women die within a year of their first heart attack, compared to 25 percent of men.

BREAST, CERVICAL CANCERS



these are the top two cause of cancers death among women in India, with breast cancer doubling between 1990 and 2013 shows data from the global burden of cancer 2013. while getting vaccinated against cancer- causing strains of the human papillomavirus (hpv) protects against cervical cancer - the Delhi government has announced it will vaccinate all 9-13 year old girl free against HPV - breast cancer detection is trickers.
every women has a 12 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, so all women must do the mandatory breast self-exam from lumps every day and go for mammo-grams after age 45 (35 if your mum, aunt or sister has had breast cancer).
though breast cancer is among the most treatable cancers, most women in India get diagnosed in late stages 3 and 4 which result in thousands of avoidable death.

ANEMIA, MALNUTRITION



one in three women in India is under-weight and 12.8 percent are stunted, standing less than 145 cm: and more than half (55 percent) have anemia ,  show data from India;s national family health survey 3 (2005 - 06)
anemia causes on in five pregnancy related deaths,  triples the risk of premature delivery , and raises chances of stillbirths ninefolds. mothers anemia may cause irreversible brain damage and lower development of the baby in womb.
if the deficiency is not acute , an iron- rich meal diet can push hemoglobin levels over the recommended 13 gm/ dl . iron is found  in meats , legumes , leafy vegetables , dried peas , beans dried apricot and raisins.

cooking in an iron pot pushed up iron content in cooked food, while adding vitamin C to meals - fresh lemon or citrus juice , for example - enhances its absorption. 

OSTEOPOROSIS





More than half of and post-menopausal women in India have low bone mass. Globally, four in five people with osteoporosis are women, who start losing bone mass as oestrogen levels start falling when they hit menopause.
Yet few realize they have a higher risk of serious bone injury from falls. Data from a global study of more than 60,000 post-menopausal women aged >55 years showed that more than half did not consider themselves at risk of spine, hip, leg and wrist fractures even when they had brittle and weak bones. Even women with neurological diseases that affect  movement did not worry about hurting themselves, found a study of women with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and heart disease.

DEPRESSION



Women in India are more depressed than men yet the condition is under-or misdiagnosed because of their disadvantaged social position, stigma and domestic violence. Social subjugation of girls and women plays a role in the neglect of their mental health, with young women feeling helpless and frustrated at being thwarted at every step. Unlike the rest of the world, where young men are three times more likely to kill themselves than men in India.
Stress from gender biases is a global phenomenon. Women who make less money than men were 2.5 times more likely to be depressed and four times more likely to have an anxiety disorder, found a study of more than 22,000 women and men with matching education and work experience, published this week in the journal Social, Science & Medicine.


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