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Issue Date: September 28, 2008
For women, Alzheimer's is double trouble
The good news: Women live longer than men. The bad news: Those extra years give Alzheimer's more time to destroy our brain cells.
Nearly twice as many women as men develop the disease, says the Alzheimer's Association. Even after age 90, women have almost double the rate of new dementia, says recent research by the University of California, Irvine.
Scientists used to think hormones protected women; now they're not so sure. Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and midlife obesity. Depression also is a strong predictor of dementia in women, says new French research. To cut odds: Eat lots of fatty fish (such as salmon), foods with a low glycemic index to lower blood sugar (such as whole grains) and a vegetable-rich Mediterranean diet. Another antidote: friends and family. Older women with strong social support are less apt to have dementia, finds new California research.
To read more: alz.org and alzinfo.org.
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Beauty without a Face-Lift
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Harvard Women's Health Watch
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If you want a younger face without going under the knife, opt for a dermal filler. That's what more women are doing, says the Harvard Women's Health Watch. And with good reason. Fillers -- injected substances that fill deep folds and wrinkles, replacing lost collagen and fat -- are safer, faster and less expensive than facial surgery. Limits: Results are not as long-lasting and depend on the practitioner's skill, plus fillers are used mainly in the lower two-thirds of the face. Caution: A filler called PMMA, new in the USA, is permanent, and mistakes are irreversible.
To read more: See the American Academy of Dermatology's aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_softtissue.html.
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Fibroids: beyond hysterectomy
One of the first reports I did as CNN's medical correspondent in the 1980s was on Georgetown University's research into ways to treat painful uterine fibroids (common non-cancerous growths) other than hysterectomy. Unfortunately, American women still undergo as many as 200,000 fibroid-connected hysterectomies a year, often without knowing about alternatives. A hysterectomy is major surgery that requires a six-week recovery, so I want you to know your options.
They include surgical removal of fibroids, leaving the uterus intact (myomectomy, with an 80% success rate), and drugs to shrink fibroids. One of the newest alternatives: high-intensity ultrasound that destroys the fibroids. This non-invasive procedure is guided by magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI.
To read more: Visit healthywomen.org and Georgetown University Hospital's fibroidoptions.com.
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New Alcohol Worry
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American Society of Hypertension
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It's well known that moderate drinking may benefit your heart. What's new and surprising to me is that excessive alcohol can wreck it. Women who drink heavily (more than four alcoholic drinks a day) show ultrasound evidence of damage to heart muscle and an enlarged heart, even in the absence of high blood pressure and stiffened arteries, says a recent study presented at a meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. An enlarged heart must work harder, possibly leading to shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, irregular heartbeat and eventual heart failure and strokes. Alert: Women have less reaction than men to drugs that treat an enlarged heart, says a new study at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
To read more: See "Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue" at http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochurewomen/women.htm.
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Go for heart help
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American Heart Association
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When my 55-year-old sister had a heart attack, she thought, "Just indigestion," and waited for it to go away. Thanks to her daughter, she got to a hospital four hours later and survived.
She's not unusual. In a recent study at Yale University, 58% of women 55 or younger hospitalized for heart attack didn't suspect heart problems, despite having chest pain. Delayed treatment is one reason women are more apt to die after a heart attack than men.
Hear this, all women, young or old: Call 911 immediately -- within five minutes -- if you have pain in your chest, urges the American Heart Association (AHA). Onset may be sudden or slow, last a few minutes and end briefly, only to recur. Women, more than men, also may have shortness of breath, sweating, nausea or vomiting and pain in the back, shoulder or jaw.
Calling 911 is best, says AHA, because emergency workers can start lifesaving treatment upon arrival -- and minutes matter.
To read more: Go to americanheart.org and goredforwomen.org.
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