Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Although autopsy results have yet to be announced in the weekend death of first-term Michigan Rep. Julie Plawecki, 54, D-Dearborn Heights, while hiking with her daughters in Oregon, sudden cardiac death could be to blame.
According to Kavitha Chinnaiyan, M.D., a cardiologist at Beaumont's Ministrelli Women's Heart Center, 60 percent of women and 40 percent of men who experience sudden cardiac death do not have any symptoms.
“With the onset of menopause, a woman’s risk for heart disease climbs rapidly,” Dr. Chinnaiyan said. “Although everyone should know their risk factors beginning at age 35, women approaching menopause need to become particularly aware of their risks.”
“They also need to know how to modify those risk factors,” she added.
Risk factors include:
- diabetes
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- family history
- inflammatory conditions
- smoking
For more information, a coronary calcium score may be recommended. Results indicate how much plaque has built up in the arteries, as well as a patient’s prognosis for heart attacks and sudden cardiac death, Dr. Chinnaiyan said.
Sudden cardiac death occurs when an artery ruptures due to pressure created by plaque buildup. Blood clots over the rupture in an effort to heal it, but may end up blocking oxygen flow to the heart, leading to fatal heart rhythms, which without immediate medical attention can result in death.
Armed with this information, patients are encouraged to embrace appropriate modifications, including medications and lifestyle changes.
“Lifestyle changes are the most important,” said Dr. Chinnaiyan, founder of Heal Your Heart, Free Your Soul, a yoga-based prevention program and author of numerous articles, book chapters and abstracts on heart disease in women, prevention and the mind-body connection.
“Maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough exercise, not smoking, not drinking in excess, managing stress and having a joyful outlook are all extremely important for cardiac health and overall well-being.”