207. Wear Red Friday

Friday was Wear Red Friday.  A couple of days before I met a patient whose story tells us why there is a Wear Red Friday.  She is a PE teacher, and for many years has participated in several runs a year, from 5 to 20K. Ten years ago she dropped out of a half marathon because of a nose bleed. The nose bleed turned out inconsequential, but in the course of an interview with the race's volunteer doc, she explained how she had become slower in the past few years, even to the point of dropping out of one race because of fatigue. 

She attributed this to age (47 at the time) but remembers him telling her that she should be getting faster with more races, or at least be holding her own. So re recommended follow-up with her primary care doctor.  She did and was scheduled for a treadmill test (in which one undergoes continuous monitoring of the heart's electrical activity while running).  A heart not receiving enough oxygen during exertion will show abnormal electrical activity. She "failed" the treadmill test and a week later underwent double coronary artery bypass.

Her weight is normal, she has never smoked, is not diabetic, and has no family history of cardiac disease.  Were it not for a doctor's perceptive questioning, she might have had a fatal heart attack during one of her runs.

The theme for Wear Red Friday:  Coronary Artery Disease is the #1 cause of death among women.