Heart disease, in its most general sense, refers to several types of conditions like coronary heart (or artery) disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke.  It is responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths annually, which translates into about one in every four deaths.  

It may not come as a surprise that heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women; however, more women die as a result of heart disease than men.  In fact, heart disease kills more women than all types of cancer combined.

Heart disease symptoms in women often differ from those in men.  Let’s focus on heart attacks: about 715,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year and about two-thirds of women who have a heart attack will not make a full recovery.  One of the most common symptoms of a heart attack, especially in men, is the crushing chest pain we’ve all seen on TV.

Heart attacks in women between the ages 35-45 are more common than ever. 35,000 women under the age of 55 suffer from heart attacks each year. There's a huge misconception that heart attacks only occur in older women. Most young women are unaware of their risks and don't even know their blood pressure or cholesterol.   

In women however, heart attack symptoms often don’t include chest pain, are often more subtle.  An easy way to identify symptoms of a heart attack in women is by remembering the pneumonic, PULSE:

Persistent chest pain – this can also include neck, shoulder and upper back
Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting
Lightheadedness, dizziness
Shortness of breath
Excessive sweating

The silver lining to all of this is that heart disease is preventable and controllable. Choose a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.  Quit smoking and limit your alcohol use.  

If you have any other conditions, like diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, make sure you’re managing them appropriately, especially if this entails daily medication.  When you visit your physician for check-ups, make sure you know your most recent and past history of blood pressure, cholesterol, Hemoglobin A1c (or HbA1c, a measure of your blood sugar level) and BMI.  

When making these efforts, be sure to not overextend yourself – don’t try to do too many things at once, rather, take small steps, one at a time.  Recruit a friend or family member to help motivate you throughout the process.  And remember, try to make it fun whenever possible – your heart will thank you for it.

Heart Disease Quick Facts:

• 720,000 people die of heart disease every year
• It is the most common disease among men and women
• Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined
• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds
• In women, 1 in 3 die of heart disease compared to 1 in 31 for breast cancer
• 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease
• The symptoms of heart disease are different in men and women, and are often misunderstood
• An American dies of cardiovascular disease every 40 seconds
• Direct and indirect costs related to heart disease total to 320.1 billion
• Worldwide, tobacco smoking was one of the top three risk factors 
• Less than 1% of U.S. adults meet the American Heart Association's definition for an "ideal healthy diet."