Forsyth Medical Center 
Women and Heart Disease
| Forsyth Medical Center received a national award in 2003 for educating women about their risks for heart disease through Forsyth's HeartAdvantage program. Call 1.866.392.3972 to take a FREE heart risk assessment. |
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Signs & Symptoms for a Heart Attack
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While many women fear that they will die from cancer, heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women in the United States. In fact, heart disease kills almost twice as many women as all cancers, including breast cancer.
Here are some facts you should know about how heart disease affects women every day in this county:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women.
- One in two women will eventually die of heart disease or stroke, compared to 1 in 25 who die from breast cancer.
- In 63% of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease, there were no previous symptoms.
- Only 7 to 8% of women realize they are at greater risk of dying from heart disease than breast cancer.
- The most prevalent and preventable risk factor for sudden cardiac death in women younger than 45 is cigarette smoking.
- The absolute number of deaths due to heart disease in women is increasing.
- In 1994, heart disease claimed the lives of 250,000 women and accounted for 45% of all deaths in women (more than all forms of cancer combined).
- The death rate due to heart disease is 34% higher in African American women than white women.
