People's health is an important symbol of socialist modernization. Liu Meilin, a CPPCC National Committee member and director of the department of geriatrics of Peking University First Hospital, suggested that women's health be promoted during this year's session of the CPPCC National Committee. 

Cardiovascular disease has become the top killer of Chinese women. As a cardiologist, Liu submitted the suggestion, which urged the central government to promote women's cardiovascular health. 

"Early prevention is of great significance for preventing and controlling cardiovascular disease. So, I have always volunteered to popularize knowledge about the prevention of cardiovascular disease," Liu said. As chief organizer of a women's health forum, she has tried to share information, needed to protect women's cardiovascular health, with families. 

Attention should be paid to gender differences in cardiovascular disease, Liu said. Women are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease than men throughout the life cycle. The older people are, the greater the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. 

Women who often take contraceptive drugs, and women who have emotional problems, are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems. 

Women are also liable to have the problem of drug resistance that is a challenge in the fight against cardiovascular disease. After menopause, women are more likely than men to develop cardiovascular disease, due to their lack of estrogen. 

Liu reminded women to avoid anxiety, and to try to remain emotionally stable in daily life, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

She hopes more clinical research programs, exclusive to women, in the field of cardiovascular disease, will be conducted, to clarify the pathogenesis of women patients. In this way, doctors will be better able to offer therapeutic schedules that are more suitable to women

Photo from Interviewee

(Source: Women of China)