Heart Disease—How Men and Women are Affected Differently

In the ‘80s, heart attacks were commonly viewed as a men’s issue. Medical textbooks almost exclusively depicted men alongside their heart disease chapters. Although men are surely diagnosed with heart disease, it also affects women; today, nearly three decades later, it remains the number one disease in the United States, afflicting both genders.

In this, the symptoms for women vary from those of men, and overall, the majority of symptoms go undetected due to a general lack of public awareness. Over the past several years, heart health campaigns across the nation have been raising greater awareness to bring attention to heart disease issues with women.

An astounding 8 million women in the U.S. have heart disease and among this group, it takes the life of 1 in 3 women.

Friday, February 6th, is National Go Red for Women. Wear Red to raise awareness about heart disease and support the women fighting this disease across the country. Click on this link to learn more about how men and women are affected differently, and see the video below to watch an eye-opening presentation by Cate Collings, M.D. at the 2012 El Camino Hospital Heart Forum.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhFLBxf1mEE[/embed]