Tackling the Number One Cause of Death in Women
NUHCS Women's Heart
Health Campaign 2022
PULSE Issue 39 | July 2022
Joining the world in celebrating
females on International Women’s
Day, the National University Heart
Centre Singapore (NUHCS) held its
Women’s Heart Health Campaign
in March to celebrate inspiring life
stories from our heart warriors, and
raise awareness on the little-known
number one cause of death for
women in Singapore – Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
Empowering women to take charge
and build up their own heart health,
the NUHCS Women’s Heart Health
Clinic launched a series of educational videos titled #AskTheExperts on their Facebook, Instagram
and YouTube social media
platforms.
In these videos, cardiologists
from NUHCS covered various topics
such as why women are at a greater
risk of heart diseases, symptoms to
look out for that could signal the
onset of heart failure, as well as tips
on how to prevent heart failure.
Supporting the campaign, home-grown women-owned lifestyle and
activewear brand, Trybe Active, collaborated with NUHCS in a fundraising campaign where 10% of all
apparel sales proceeds in March
was donated to the NUHCS Heart Fund, a sub-fund of National University Health System’s (NUHS) Fund
that provides financial assistance to
needy heart patients for their journey back to better health.
To further raise awareness on the
importance of Women’s Heart Health, NUHCS also collaborated
with local women's YouTube channel, ZULA, and invited 29-year-old
Ms Yelin Guo to share about her experience living with a rare form of
coronary heart disease, Takayasu
Arteritis – a unique autoimmune
disorder of inflamed blood vessels
that damages her biggest arteries,
causing a decreased blood flow to
her heart and increasing her risk of
organ failure.
As an occupational therapist, Ms
Guo believed in leading a balanced
lifestyle, always exercising regularly,
and eating healthily. Hence, receiving her diagnosis at a young age of
27 came as a shock to her. Yet, Ms
Guo worked with her doctors to find
a suitable treatment plan and has
learnt to make adjustments to her
lifestyle, including avoiding strenuous exercise and raw food to manage her condition.
The Women’s Heart Health Campaign also featured two other
female heart warriors who shared
their personal experiences battling
heart disease with zeal and positivity.
For 35-year-old Mdm Kailing Yang,
her diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension post-pregnancy was just in
time to save her from a potentially
life-threatening situation. In pulmonary hypertension, blood vessels in
the lungs are narrowed, obstructing blood flow and resulting in an
alarming increase in blood pressure.
This causes the heart to work harder,
weakening the muscles over time
and may eventually lead to heart
failure. 67-year-old Mdm Nancy Tan on the
other hand, had always considered
herself healthy and initially did not
heed her doctor’s warning of having
high levels of cholesterol. However,
after experiencing a dizzy spell while
driving, she sought medical help
immediately and was diagnosed
with coronary artery disease, a progression from her initial diagnosis
of high cholesterol. She encourages
all to take preventive measures early
and shares her wisdom in learning to
heed the doctor’s advice.
Today, all three women are managing their heart conditions well by
making adjustments to their lifestyles with a positive outlook.
Symptoms of heart disease in women
are usually more subtle, like breathlessness and fatigue. Although CVDs
are the number one cause of death
in women, these conditions are usually highly preventable. However,
many women tend to seek a diagnosis only at a later stage when the disease has unfortunately progressed
to a critical stage.
The NUHCS Women Heart Health
Clinic was set up to address the profound gender differences in numerous cardiac diseases, and is the first
tertiary centre in Singapore to implement a gender-tailored programme
dedicated to providing a one-stop
care for ladies at risk or living with
heart disease.
