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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