Your Heart
Introduction
Often incorrectly called "a man’s disease,"
heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in
the United States. According to the American Heart Association,
heart disease, or cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes
heart attack and stroke, claims the lives of 504,000 women
in the United States every year—more than the next
16 causes of death combined, including breast cancer.
Heart attacks alone kill almost 250,000 women each year,
and women under age 50 who have had heart attacks are twice
as likely to die from them as men in the same age group.
Experts believe that one of the major reasons women are
less likely to recover from heart attacks is because until
recently, treatment and diagnosis of CVD in women was based
on what physicians knew about men. As a result, women were
diagnosed later than men, limiting their treatment options.
Now armed with specific information about women’s
CVD, health professionals are educating women at risk with
preventive information and various treatments. By tailoring
their approach to women’s needs, they hope to lower
women’s CVD-related death rates.
Reference
“Women,
Heart Disease, and Stroke Statistics,” American
Heart Association, 2002.
Source of Material: RockHill Communications, 14
Rock Hill Road Bala, Cynwyd, PA 19004, (610) 667-2040, http://www.RockHillCommunications.com
Writer: Christine Norris
Editors: Andrea King, Joanne Poeggel, Erin Murphy, Ron
Wozny
Clinical Reviewer: Patt Panzer, M.D. - RockHill Communications
Date Written: 3/1/01
Last Reviewed & Updated: 5/31/2003 |
