The term heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions, including coronary artery disease and heart attack
Get informed: facts on women and heart disease
Despite an increase in awareness over the past decades, only about half (56%) of women recognize that heart disease in their number one killer.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 301,280 women in 2019 - or about one in every five female deaths. For Hispanic and non-Hispanic Asian women, heart disease is second only to cancer as a cause of death.
- About one in 16 age 20 and older (6.2%) have coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease in the United States.
Symptoms
Sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a woman has signs or symptoms, including:
- Heart attack: Chest pain or discomfort, upper back pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea/vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, and shortness of breath
- Arrhythmia: Fluttering feelings in the chest (palpitations)
- Heart failure: Shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling of the feet/ankles/legs/abdomen/neck veins
What you can do for heart health
To lower your chances of getting heart disease, it's important to:
- Manage your stress levels. Find healthy ways to lower your stress levels.
- Know your blood pressure. High blood pressure has no symptoms, so it's important to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Learn more about high blood pressure.
- Check for diabetes. Talk to your health care providers about whether you should be tested for diabetes. Having uncontrolled diabetes raises your risk of heart disease.
- Quit smoking. If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, learn ways to quit.
- Be physically active. Try to get at least two hours and 30 minutes of physical activity each week. Not getting enough physical activity can lead to heart disease.
- Choose healthy foods and drinks. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and eat fewer processed foods.
- Limit how much alcohol you drink. Women of legal drinking age should either avoid alcohol or drink one or less alcoholic drink per day.