8 million women in the Unites States are living with Heart Disease, yet only one in 6 believe heart disease is her greatest health threat.

• 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.While one in 30 American women dies from breast cancer each year, one in 3 dies of cardiovascular disease.
• 42% of women die within a year of suffering a heart attack-compared with 24% of men.
• Women younger than 45 who suffer a heart attack are at a higher risk of death.
• Some 26% of women in this age group die within a year of a heart attack, compared with 19% of men, and 47% of women are dead after 5 years versus 36% of men.

Common symptoms for women include pain of the jaw, arm, or back, but most report a delay in seeking treatments after the symptoms began of anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 weeks. Women are less likely to call 911 for themselves when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack than they are if someone else were having a heart attack.

Heart disease is silent and it’s hidden and misunderstood. Women tend to take care of everyone else first. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to take care of anyone else.

Women can do their part by quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, adding an exercise routine and watching your weight.
Also, to help get the word out and raise awareness, please plan on participating in the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women National Wear Red Day this Friday. Do it for yourself or for any woman you might know with heart disease.