Know the Facts About Women and Heart Disease
More women die from heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases than men, yet many women do not realize they are at risk. These diseases kill one out of every three women, regardless of their ethnicity; that's more than the next five causes of death combined.
- Only 13% of women view heart disease as a health threat, even though it's women's No. 1 killer.
- Cardiovascular disease kills over 480,000 women a year, about one per minute.
- Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 single killer of women over age 25.
- 64% of women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
- One in 2.6 female deaths are from cardiovascular disease, compared with one in 30 from breast cancer.
- Heart disease rates in postmenopausal women are two to three times higher than in premenopausal women of the same age.
- Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death for American women, and is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.
- Stroke kills more women than men. In 2003, females represented 61% of stroke deaths.
Source: American Heart Association
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