Women and Heart Disease

While many women fear that they will die from cancer, heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women in the United States. In fact, heart disease kills almost twice as many women as all cancers, including breast cancer.

Signs & Symptoms for a Heart Attack

• Chest discomfort
• Pain spreading to the shoulder, neck or arm
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Indigestion feeling
• Dizziness
• Weakness or fatigue
• Discomfort or pain between shoulder blades
• Sense of impending doom

women and heart disease

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Here are some facts you should know about how heart disease affects women every day in this country:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women.

• One in two women will eventually die of heart disease or stroke, compared to 1 in 25 who die from breast cancer.
• In 63% of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease, there were no previous symptoms.
• Within one year after having a heart attack, 44% of women will die.
• Only 7 to 8% of women realize they are at greater risk of dying from heart disease than breast cancer.
• The most prevalent and preventable risk factor for sudden cardiac death in women younger than 45 is cigarette smoking.
• The absolute number of deaths due to heart disease in women is increasing.
• In 1994, heart diease claimed the lives of 250,000 women and accounted for 45% of all deaths in women (more than all forms of cancer combined).
• The death rate due to heart disease is 34% higher in African American women than white women.