Heart disease…
  • Refers to the blockages of arteries.
  • Is the number one killer of women.
  • Will kill an estimated one out of every two women.
  • Kills 10 times more women than breast cancer each year.
  • Kills more women than all other cancers combined.
  • Afflicts 10 percent of women aged 45 to 64.
  • Is not only a killer of the elderly. According to one study, nearly one-fourth of women who died of heart disease were between the ages of 35 and 44.

Heart disease's sexism
  • Many symptoms of heart disease are ignored, unrecognized or misdiagnosed because women's symptoms are completely different than men's.
  • Women under the age of 75 are twice as likely as men to die from heart disease because female and male doctors often misdiagnose the symptoms.
  • Women have heart attacks five to 10 years later than men because women's estrogen levels decrease over time. As women become menopausal, they lose some of their protection against heart disease.
  • Women's hearts are physically different than men's. If you look at the arteries that provide blood flow to the heart muscle, men's are like rigid pipes, while women's are soft. Only 30 percent of women who have heart attacks have calcium in their arteries, whereas 90 percent of men who have heart attacks have calcium in theirs. Therefore, heart disease is a fundamentally different disease for women than it is for men.

You are more at risk for heart disease if you have:
  • high blood pressure
  • a smoking habit (triples your chances of having a heart attack before the age of 40)
  • high cholesterol
  • a family history of heart disease
  • diabetes

The common warning signs of heart disease for women are:
  • nausea
  • indigestion
  • back pain
  • pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, arms or jaw
  • dizziness
  • unexplained fatigue
  • chest discomfort

Dr. Oz reveals the number one killer of women in America
Published 01/01/2006
As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.