SURPRISING FACTS:
More women died of heart failure last year than men.

Almost one out of two women will die of heart failure.  Currently, it is women’s number one killer.

Heart failure in women is frequently misdiagnosed since symptoms are very different in women than men. 

Heart attack symptoms for women:  a pain in the jaw (see your MD before you see your dentist, it just might save your life), nausea, fatigue that lasts for no good reason. A heart attack may not manifest with chest pain like it does with men.  Insist that your doctor does more intensive testing than an EKG. 

A significant number of younger women who are thin, eat perfect diets, who exercise regularly and do yoga also have early heart attacks.  Sometimes there are genetic risk factors.  Other times, stress and perfectionism are the major risk factors.  Stress and perfectionism are considered  more damaging to women’s hearts than smoking!  That said, please don’t smoke or give up on healthy eating, exercise or meditative practices, all which definitely lower your risks significantly.

TO DO:
Toxic relationships, saying yes when you mean no and other emotional blows can physically damage women’s hearts.  It’s critical for women to draw the line sometimes to protect their hearts and their futures.  Don’t be a “good girl” all the time.

Prior to beginning an exercise program that will bring your heart rate into a higher competitive range, have a complete exam by your doctor beyond having them listen to your heart.  Check to ensure there isn’t some birth defect or other heart malady you are unaware of.  We’ve known young women and men in their late 20’s and younger to drop dead of a heart attack when exercising because they didn’t know they had a leaky heart valve, an enlarged heart, etc.  This is especially important if you’ve attempted exercise and find that despite being a motivated person  you can’t keep up, you’re out of breathe, your face is red, your heart is racing and slowing down or otherwise feeling erratic.

American Heart Association – Heart Attack Warning Signs

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — the "movie heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.   
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.   
• Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.  
• Other signs. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness       

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
If you or someone you're with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don't wait longer than a few minutes (no more than 5) before calling for help. Call 9-1-1... Get to a hospital right away.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive – up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. The staff is also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.
If you can't access the emergency medical services (EMS), have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option. 

Cardiac arrest strikes immediately and without warning. Here are the signs:

• Sudden loss of responsiveness (no response to tapping on shoulders).
• No normal breathing (the victim does not take a normal breath when you tilt the head up and check for at least five seconds). 

If these signs of cardiac arrest are present, tell someone to call 9-1-1 and get an automated external defibrillator (AED), (if one is available) and you begin CPR immediately.  

If you are alone with an adult who has these signs of cardiac arrest, call 9-1-1 and get an AED (if one is available) before you begin CPR. 
Use an AED as soon as it arrives.

Her Heart Community Offers the Following Information on Coronary Heart Disease and Its Affect on Women:

Diagnosis and prognosis of coronary heart disease in women can be very different than in men.

• Women may present with either typical (chest pain) or atypical (back pain, nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath, fatigue) symptoms of heart attack.

• Women are more likely than men to present with mid-back pain, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, palpitations, and indigestion.

• Women often delay seeking care for heart disease symptoms which can delay diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

• Women present with CHD approximately 10 years later than men
  
  Women are more likely than men to die within a few weeks of an initial heart attack.

Risks are even higher for patients with diabetes, who are obese, or for African American women.

• While diabetes increases coronary heart disease risk for both men and women, it is a much more powerful coronary risk factor for women.

• Obesity is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD.)

• African American women are at higher risk for – and have a higher prevalence of – coronary heart disease than women of other races.

It is important that women discuss the risk of heart disease with their doctor.

• Raise awareness of risk factors among women.

• Discuss the need for diagnostic testing and its ability to reveal potential for heart disease by helping consumers identify their risk level

• It is also important to discuss among family members to address potential health risks that can be uncovered by diagnostic testing

Everyone should understand the importance of a health lifestyle.

• Seek out heart healthy alternatives in your favorite foods

• Incorporate more activity in your daily life

Encourage all women to attend the Her Heart Community event.

• Valuable educational materials will be provided.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
American Heart Association 2006 Statistical Update

Incidence

• This year an estimated 700 000 Americans will have a new coronary attack and about 500 000 will have a recurrent attack. It is estimated that an additional 175 000 silent first heart attacks occur each year.
• The average age of a person having a first heart attack is 65.8 for men and 70.4 for women.
• CHD rates in women after menopause are 2–3 times those of women the same age before menopause.

Mortality

• CHD caused 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States in 2003. CHD mortality as an underlying or contributing cause of death—653 000. Myocardial infarction (MI) mortality as an underlying or contributing cause of death—221 000.
• CHD is the single largest killer of American males and females. About every 26 seconds an American will suffer a coronary event, and about every minute someone will die from one. About 40% of the people who experience a coronary attack in a given year will die from it.
• From 1993–2003, the death rate from CHD declined 30.2%, but the actual number of deaths declined only 14.7%. In 2003, the overall CHD death rate was 162.6 per 100 000 population. The death rates were 209.2 for white males and 241.1 for black males; for white females the rate was 125.1 and for black females it was 160.3.
• Over 83% of people who die of CHD are age 65 or older.
• The estimated average number of years of life lost due to a heart attack is 14.2.
• 25% of men and 38% of women will die within 1 year after having an initial recognized MI. In part because women have heart attacks at older ages than men do, they’re more likely to die from them within a few weeks. Almost half of men and women under age 65 who have a heart attack (MI) die within 8 years.
• 50% of men and 64% of women who died suddenly of CHD had no previous symptoms of this disease.
  
  Risk Factors

• About 90% of the CHD patients have prior exposure to at least one of these major risk factors, which include high total blood cholesterol levels or current medication with cholesterol-lowering drugs, hypertension or current medication with blood pressure-lowering drugs, current cigarette use, and clinical report of diabetes.

• It is estimated that more than 90% of CHD events will occur in individuals with at least 1 elevated risk factor, and approximately 8% will occur in people with only borderline levels of multiple risk factors.

Awareness of Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Heart Disease

• Surveys conducted by the AHA between 1997 and 2003 showed the awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death in women rose from 30% in 1997 to 46% in 2003. Awareness in white women (55%) was nearly twice as high as among African-American (30%) and Hispanic (27%) women.
• In 1997, a telephone survey of 1000 US households found that only 8% of women respondents identified heart disease as their greatest health concern; less than 33% identified heart disease as the leading cause of death.
• Data from the Women Veteran Cohort, age 35 and over, showed 42% of women were concerned about heart disease. Only 8–20% were aware that coronary artery disease (CAD) is the major cause of death for women.