What are the warning signs of angina or a heart attack in women?
You have asked an excellent question. Unfortunately, many women believe that heart disease predominates in men and is less likely a threat to a womans health than conditions like breast or ovarian cancer. The reality is that approximately 1 in 2 women will die from heart disease or stroke, and during any given year, cardiovascular disease will claim nearly twice as many lives as all forms of cancer combined. While it is true that cardiovascular disease tends to strike men approximately 5 to 10 years earlier than in women, after menopause, the rate of cardiovascular disease in women accelerates and approaches the rate in men. Women are also at risk for doing worse after suffering a heart attack than men. Part of this may relate to the fact that women are typically older and have more hypertension when heart disease strikes and, thus, less able to withstand such damage to the body. Other reasons, though, may relate to the fact that women tend to respond slower to symptoms or fail to reco
