JEDDAH, 23 March 2007 — The two-day 5th International Women Health Update Conference that ended this past week was aimed at promoting the idea that prevention is better than a cure. More than 450 people attended the conference at the Intercontinental Hotel here.
The two-day event started Tuesday and was organized by King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center and Roche.
Dr. Lina Bissar, head of the organizing committee and consultant of internal medicine, spoke about the status of women’s health in Saudi Arabia.
“The conference this year reflected that awareness that doctors in our community have regarding the importance of women’s health. This year’s scientific programs has been very strong,” she said.
Some risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking and lack of exercise increase the possibility of having a heart attack, especially if there was a history of family members dying from fatal heart conditions. Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women in the Kingdom, and the cause can be genetic as well as a result of lifestyle choices.
Women who have parents that die from heart failure before the age of 55 for fathers and 65 for mothers are at higher risk of suffering the same fate, but that good lifestyle choices — such as healthy diet, exercise and avoidance of cigarettes and shisha — can help considerably in reducing the risk.
“Women here are sedentary and not used to exercise. Most of them are driven and barely do any walking in malls,” said Bissar.
The doctor pointed out that the economic boom that began in Saudi Arabia 50 years ago has dramatically changed the lifestyles of Saudis. While people are wealthier, they also suffer from poor health related to lack of exercise and poor diet. Smoking, too, has become more acceptable for women that it used to be. Today women can be seen puffing cigarettes and shisha (flavored tobaccos smoked in water pipes) in Saudi cafés.
The conference addressed the many different stages in women’s lives, from puberty to pregnancy and menopause to old age. Those changes make her subject to many health problems. Psychological changes like depression are more common among women than men. Women, however, tend to die at an older age than men, 74 compared to 72, according to Dr. Nuha Dashash, consultant of family medicine.
Reports of the United Nations stated that the death cases among women in labor have decreased from 130 in every 100,000 in 1990 to 23 in every 100,000 in 2005.
“Although the Kingdom shows a decrease in the death rate among mothers, there is still a huge need to prevent diseases through awareness campaigns and form laws that protect women from side effects of diseases. Another important thing is the early discovery of diseases especially breast cancer and cervical cancer,” she added.
