Incidence of Heart and Cardiovascular Disease Among Women

Many women think heart disease is a man's problem, but heart disease is very much a woman's problem. Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women, as well as men in America? And that stroke is the 3^rd leading cause of death for American women (cancer is #2)? Heart disease affects women of all racial and ethnic groups, as well as women with other illnesses, such as diabetes. Black women are more likely to die of heart disease than white women are. Increasing age is also a factor in heart disease and with people age 65 and over being the fastest growing group in the U.S., heart disease is becoming a growing problem for women.

Almost twice as many women die from cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined. Men have heart attacks and strokes more often than do women. But, the death rate for women from cardiovascular disease is higher. As women age, particularly after menopause, they become more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Lower levels of estrogen during and after menopause are thought to increase a woman's risk for cardiovascular disease. Early menopause, natural or surgical, can double a woman's risk for developing coronary heart disease (see next question for definition). Younger women are also at risk for cardiovascular disease if they smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and a family history of cardiovascular disease at young ages. Women with congenital heart disease (born with a heart defect) have a higher risk of having a baby with a heart defect.