It is a commonly known fact that it is men who tend to suffer from more cases of heart diseases like stroke and cardiac arrest. Due to this belief, many women are rest assured that a heart condition cannot affect them and that they are completely safe from heart attack or cardiovascular disorders.   But this is far from true as many females too have suffered from heart diseases and still continue to do so in large numbers.

Heart Disease Facts

The following are some of the important heart disease facts that women must know:

  • It is a fact that heart diseases are the number one reason for death of females in the US!  Yes, every 1 in 4 female deaths in US are caused due to heart diseases.
  • Another fact associated with heart disease among women is that an equal number of men and women die every year due to heart diseases in the US.
  • Eventhough there is vast improvement in awareness related to heart diseases; still 54% of women consider it as the number 1 death cause.
  • Another important fact related to heart disease is that 7.6% of all the black women, 5.8% of all the white women and 5.6% of all the Mexican American women suffer from cardiovascular conditions or disorders.
  • It is also important to know that in some cases of coronary heart diseases, a female might not experience any symptoms, up until death due to stroke occurs.   Infact about 2/3rd of females who die of coronary heart condition experience absolutely no symptoms. This means that even if you may show no symptoms, you may be at a risk of a heart disease.

Risk Factors of Heart Disease Among Women

It is important to be aware of the risk factors that may make you more likely to suffer from a heart disease. The following is a list of a few:

  • Smoking is one of the risk factors that are associated with heart disease among women. This means that if you smoke on a regular basis, then you may be at a higher risk of a coronary heart condition.
  • If you have high blood pressure, then too you may be at a higher risk of a heart disease.
  • High level of bad cholesterol in blood can also prove to be a risk factor of a heart disease.
  • One of the other risk factor of a heart disease among females is occurrence of type 2 diabetes.
  • If you have poor diet and low nutrition, then too you may be at a higher risk of suffering from a heart disease.
  • Excessive consumption of alcohol can also be a risk factor associated with heart disease.
  • Another risk factor related to heart disease among females is being overweight and obesity.

Symptoms of Heart Disease Among Women

  • Heart Attack-. The symptoms associated with a heart attack are chest pain, discomfort in the chest area, indigestion, heartburn, pain in upper back, shortness of breath and fatigue.
  • Heart failure– Shortness of breath, swelling in various body parts and fatigue.