“ 8 out of 10 women worry first about the health of their loved ones and neglect their own. ” There Father Claire Mounier-Vehier knows what she’s talking about. Cardiologist at the University Hospital of Lille, she co-founded, with Thierry Drilhon, company director, the foundation Acting for the hearts of womento encourage those who sometimes – often – forget to finally take the time to listen to their bodies. ” I do not have time. »
With the Women’s Heart Bus, the aim was to enable all women to benefit fromexams And free heart screenings. There night of June 28 to 29, 2023in a context of urban violence, a fire volunteer destroyed the bus and all the medical equipment it contained. The facts took place during his stage in Bobigny. The fire caused €350,000 in damage and the loss of 800 medical records.
“Even if we are still reeling from the total destruction of the Bus du Cœur des Femmes, there is no question of giving up. We are already looking to the future “, shared Professor Claire Mounier-Vehier.
Since the launch of the bus in 2021, nearly 5,000 women were able to benefit from free screening. It was the case of Laura, 37 years old, mother of two young children. Top Health shares her experience with the Women’s Heart Bus.
She thought she had more urgent things to do than take care of her health
Arriving on April 6 on the Toulouse stage of the Bus du Coeur, Laure, 37, is no exception to the rule. This bakery saleswoman, mother of two young children, think it’s more urgent, more important to do than take care of your health. Convinced by the medical team, she will finally stay 1h30 on site. And will leave delighted with the experience.
Alert on women’s hearts
Stroke, heart attack, hypertension… With nearly 75,000 deaths per year, cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of death among women. A figure much higher than that of deaths linked to breast cancer, but which is often ignored.
Because no, it’s not just overweight men over 50 who have heart problems! Faced with stubborn received ideas, too few women think of getting tested. However, 80% of cardiovascular accidents can be avoided thanks to a healthy lifestyle and regular medical follow-up. Laure therefore begins her journey with a meticulous interrogation, led by the Pre Alessandra Bura-Rivière, head of the vascular medicine department at Toulouse University Hospitalwho kindly questions her about her consumption of alcohol, tobacco, her diet, the number of hours she devotes to sport each week, her stress level, her family history…
Contraception, heart rate, blood sugar & Co.
The specialist then tackles another far from trivial subject, that of the contraception. In a recent study at the initiative of Acting for Women’s Hearts,it was revealed that, among the women taking contraception with synthetic estrogens, 61% of them had a contraindication: smoking, age over 35, BMI over 30, uncontrolled diabetes…
Laure shares her concerns about her heartbeat, around 85 at rest, and her shortness of breath as soon as she climbs stairs. Father Bura-Rivière reassures her: “As long as the number does not exceed 100 at rest, there is no need to worry. » Now is the time to assess the risk. metabolic. Laure weighs herself, a nurse measures her abdominal circumference: 80 cm. Beyond 88 cm, this would be a cardiovascular risk factor. A nurse pricks her finger to get her blood sugar, the blood sugar level. A little later, the echo-Doppler made it possible to ensure that his carotid artery was not invaded by cholesterol plaques.
Prevention rather than cure
After a few minutes of waiting, it’s the interview gynecologicalintended to identify – in order to better take them into account – possible risk factors.
Then Laure spends a electrocardiogram, which reveals a perfectly functioning heart. A real luxury when you know that an appointment to do this examination often requires months of patience. Both sympathetic and educational, the nurses and doctors take the time to answer the questions of their day-to-day patients. And insist, without ever feeling guilty, on the pillars of prevention: eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, taming your stress, getting rid of cigarettes once and for all, this formidable killer…
Simple messages, but which can save lives. Laure emerges from these interviews and examinations “reassured”,with the desire to make changes to his lifestyle.
Today, following the destruction of the bus, the foundation Agir pour le cœur des femmes is calling on donations to help women take care of their health again. To make a donation, go tohttps://lnkd.in/eFkNgffC
Info on Agirpourlecoeurdesfemmes.com