Cardiovascular Disease in YOUNG Women
Hello.
I am a 21 year old, and back at the end of March, I received some shocking news from my doctor.
When I went in for my annual check up, some results on blood work I had done came back as abnormal.
My HS-CRP levels were 4 times what they should be. HS-CRP is High sensitivity c-reactive protein. It is measured alongside cholesterol levels, and is a key indicator in flagging whether or not someone will encounter heart disease in their future. Normal levels for a woman should be less that 2.5 gm/dl; mine was 8.5 gm/dl
Heart disease is in my family; my grandmother had a 90% blockage heart attack when she was 67, and 6 months later, my uncle had a 99% blockage heart attack when he was 44. My mother and one of my aunts are on medication for high cholesterol. Needless to say, I'm predisposed.
CRP is a protein found in the human body during times of inflammation; whether you bang your hand with a hammer, walk into the coffee table, or fall off your bike. However, if your levels are elevated and you are not/have not recently been seriously ill, or do not have an underlying medical condition, that is a serious red flag.
As was the case with me.
Some of my arteries are inflamed. This is a serious condition, especially in a healthy 21 year old. I don't smoke, and I maintain healthy eating habits. I exercise as often as I can when I'm not at work (however I do work in a busy emergency facility which keeps me on my toes). The fact is, this happened to me regardless of how healthy I keep myself on the outside.
I want young women to be aware of this. I thought I was perfectly healthy, but it turned out there was a dark secret brewing inside of me, that really produces no symptoms until later in life, when heart attacks and stroked happen. When you go for your yearly check up, make sure you get your cholesterol and CRP levels checked, even if you're as young as me. it will make a world of a difference if you know now if preventive measures must be taken.
Know what's going on with your body, inside AND out. You only have this one body, make sure it lasts as long as you want it to.
.:. if nothing changed, we wouldn't have butterflies.:.
Wow, this does sound serious. I came about your post from Twitter. I though the link might be to an article about women and cardiovascular disease.
How are you handling the situation? ie. what did your doctor recommend to change this and what are or will you be doing about this?
Since I am as young as I am, currently I am doing my best to bring the levels down through healthy diet and exercise. I will have another blood test done at the end of the summer, and if my levels have come down, I will likely maintain the exercise and diet routine. If my levels have gone higher (God forbid) or have had little change, I will be put on a cholesterol medication, which although my cholesterol is not the issue, will work to bring down the CRP levels.
.:. if nothing changed, we wouldn't have butterflies.:.
That sounds like a good plan! Drugs should be the last resort if your own actions do not correct it.
IMHO, if you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and reduce your intake of animal products and exercise regularly then your levels should go down. I'm not a doctor or health professional, but I have seen this happen many times.
Usually diet is the primary contributor to one's health. A recent example, a friend was diagnosed with high cholesterol. He exercised regularly and thought he had a healthy diet. His father and grandfather also had high cholesterol. His doctor informed him that his condition was genetic/hereditary and he was put on a cholesterol drug. He was in his early 30s at the time and I knew it was wrong to be on such drugs at such a young age.
I gave him a book, The China Study, it discusses the link between diet and health. The book is called the China Study because of the genetic makeup of the Chinese population – 80% have essentially the same DNA. It was used to show health pattern based on their diets. The more affluent Chinese people increased their intake of animal products - like in the west, and their health suffered similarly to western populations while the poorer ones with a more traditional diet did not incur such health problems.
He read the book and based on what he read, he cut out his consumption of almost all animal products (no meat, eggs, dairy). After about six months, his cholesterol returned to normal and he also lost weight that he could not shed when he was on his previous diets (over a 10 year period).
If one's diet is a stress to the body, it might cause both CRP and cholesterol to go up. We normally do not think of food as a stress (maybe fried food, lol) but if we do, then unhealthy food - let's use chicken as an example - we think of it as healthy - low fat, high protein, etc. But if it is not healthy (high animal protein, cholesterol) then it might cause CRP and cholesterol to go up at the same time.
Good luck with your plan!
Last edited by Little; 06-17-2010 at 04:50 AM. Reason: outbound link
I have increased my intake of fruits and veggies, and otherwise strictly monitor what I eat. I also take an Omega 3 supplement because I'm not a particular fan of eating fish.
High cholesterol is a hereditary condition, so for many of us it is unavoidable even when we try our edest. However, my cholesterol levels are fine. My blood pressure is 120/85. Its just the CRP levels. CRP and cholesterol, although linked, can increase independent of one another. Some people have increase in both, some just cholesterol, and some like me, just CRP.
Cholesterol is found in animal products, however I am not going to cut out animal products from my diet. I am a religious milk drinker (1% skim now though haha) and I enjoy eggs from time to time. I don't eat much red meat, only on occasion. I mainly stick to turkey and chicken, which are both lean and healthy. I do follow a rule that any meat on my dinner plate does not exceed the size of a deck of cards; I read that a long time ago in a magazine.
Although during the summer I have lost the benefit of the college gym I have during school, I bought one of Jillian Michaels' exercise dvds, which I try to do 3 times a week. I also have an active job; I work in an emergency veterinary facility, which keeps me on my feet, and gets my muscles working when I have an uncooperative patient to deal with.
I'm very confident that I can do this on my own and I am making a conscious effort. Part of me is scared, but I can't let that consume me.
.:. if nothing changed, we wouldn't have butterflies.:.
I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but thank you for posting it to make us aware. I'm just wondering, what kind of diet do you have? Heart attacks and heart diseases haven't been too prominent in my family, but there's a tendency to have high cholesterol and blood pressure. When I was very young, doctors were shocked at my cholesterol levels, and response I adopted a basically vegetarian diet to avoid cholesterol, and my cholesterol has been consistently low ever since. But do you know if these problems can still arise even with a low cholesterol diet? Are they caused because your body produces too much cholesterol, or by consuming too much?
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