Women And Heart Attacks

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. There is a common misperception that heart disease is a man’s disease, but the same number of men and women die of heart disease each year. In 2009, u003e290 000 women died of heart disease, one-fourth of all deaths in women. Heart disease encompasses a broad spectrum of disease that includes heart attacks, irregular heart rhythms, and heart failure. We will focus on coronary artery disease and heart attacks.A 2012 American Heart Association survey of 2300 women found that only 56% of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death in women. This was a marked improvement from 30% in 1997, but highlights that almost half of women still do not recognize the threat of heart disease to their health. Awareness is lower among ethnic minority women, with fewer than half of black and Hispanic women correctly identifying heart disease …