Heart Disease and Women (4pg)

Article #6 - Heart Disease and Women: The Surprising Statistics

Most people have the mistaken impression that heart disease is a health problem that affects mainly men. But here’s the chilling fact: heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. Just consider these surprising statistics about women and heart disease:

• Cardiovascular disease claims the lives of approximately 480,000 American women every year. In comparison, all forms of cancer claim the lives of just over 250,000 women annually.

• Almost six times more women die of heart disease than breast cancer every year.

• Of the 500,000 heart attack deaths that occur each year, almost half occur in women.

• The mortality rate for women for the first year after a heart attack is 38 percent. For men, it is 25 percent.

• Every year, more women die of stroke than men.

• One in eight women over the age of 45 has had a heart attack.

For more information, please see Women and Heart Disease: The Forgotten Risk inside this issue of MyHealth.

Items to Discuss with Your Doctor*

 

__ Age

__ Race

__ Family History of Heart Disease

__ Blood Pressure

__ Blood Cholesterol

__ Blood Triglycerides

__ Glucose Tolerance (if you are concerned about diabetes)

__ Ideal Weight for Age, Height and Body Type

__ Smoking and Alcohol Consumption

__ Response To Stress

__ Satisfaction with Work and Family

__ Oral Contraceptives

__ Estrogen Replacement Therapy (for postmenopausal women)

__ Dietary Changes

__ Exercise Routines

 

*Provided by the American Heart Association

 

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