This Month and Always, We've Got Heart

Together, we have the passion and power to fight heart disease. We just need you to join us. Make a heart healthy promise today. These women did. Go ahead — love your heart.

Heart Attack Warning Signs | Maintaining Your Cholesterol for a Healthy Heart

It’s no secret that heart disease can kill. That’s the bad news. But there’s good news, too, because according to the American Heart Association, “heart disease can largely be prevented.” As you might guess, the first step in staying heart healthy is staying informed.

For instance, did you know the risk factors, warning signs and symptoms of heart disease, chest pain and stroke can be different for men and women? Here’s an example: Women are as likely as men to suffer chest pain or discomfort as the most common heart attack symptom, but they are more likely than men to experience other common symptoms, such as back or jaw pain, shortness of breath and nausea or vomiting.

That’s not all. While men and women tend to get heart disease at equal rates once they are in their 70s, the statistics up until that time are very different. Men are more likely to be affected by heart disease in the prime of their middle years, while women are usually stricken after menopause. That means a 60-year-old woman is as likely to get heart disease as a 50-year-old man.

In fact, heart disease has become the No. 1 killer of American women, just as it is for men. One in nine women, ages 45 to 64, has some form of cardiovascular disease. By age 65, a woman has a one-in-three chance of developing cardiovascular disease. Additional statistics (from the PDR Family Guide to Women’s Health) offer a more complete picture:

• One-third of all deaths of American women each year are attributable to heart disease. Heart disease kills more women each year than cancer, accidents and diabetes combined.
• All forms of cardiovascular disease kill nearly 500,000 American women a year. Stroke alone kills 88,000.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack) kills 244,000 women a year.
• Forty percent of women with heart disease will eventually die of it.

Fortunately, treatment of heart disease in women is no longer based solely on what is known from the treatment of heart disease in men. And, along with a growing awareness of women’s health in general, there is a greater focus on heart disease in women.

But—for both women and men—one of the keys to preventing heart disease is staying informed. So, in addition to living a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise, it’s important to know the primary warning signs for heart attack.

Photographed L to R: Sharon Eisbart Owner / President Sharon Eisbart Corporate Art, Dottie Davis Deputy Chief Fort Wayne Police Dept., Deborah Beckman Chief Executive Officer YWCA, Nancy Schroeder, CPA Chief Financial Officer Fort Wayne Cardiology