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Heart Disease Awareness for Women
 If you're like most women, you are surprised at this fact: Coronary heart disease, not cancer, is by far the leading cause of death among women in the United States. More women die from heart disease than the next 16 causes combined. Although so many women are at risk, especially women after menopause, few recognize the risk factors and take steps to reduce them. If left untreated, coronary heart disease leads to heart attack and heart failure.
There are many things that women can do to reduce their risk of developing coronary heart disease:
- stop smoking,
- maintain a weight as close to their ideal body weight as possible,
- exercise (the American Heart Association recommends 20 minutes of exercise three times a week with warm up and cool down periods),
- seek screening and treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.
A regimen of one aspirin (325 mg) every other day has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and death from heart disease in men, but since no women were included in research studies of aspirin for heart disease, it's not known if women could also benefit.
Upon reaching menopause, a woman's risk for heart disease equals if not surpasses a man's risk. Cholesterol levels that were kept in check by estrogen production may surge upward. Hormone replacement therapy may reduce the sudden increased risk, but may at the same time promote an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
Every woman should talk with her doctor about risks for heart disease. Taking preventive measures can go a long way in reducing the chances of a heart attack.
Note: The information on this Web site is provided as general health guidelines and may not be applicable to your particular health condition. Your individual health status and any required medical treatments can only be properly addressed by a professional healthcare provider of your choice. Remember: There is no adequate substitution for a personal consultation with your physician. Neither Valley Hospital Medical Center, or any of their affiliates, nor any contributors shall have any liability for the content or any errors or omissions in the information provided by this Web site.
The information, content and artwork provided by this Web site is intended for non-commercial use by the reader. The reader is permitted to make one copy of the information displayed for his/her own non-commercial use. The making of additional copies is prohibited.
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