Are You At Risk? The Special Dangers of Heart Disease for Women

Men and women share many of the risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and obesity. However, certain risk factors for heart disease play a bigger role in women.

  • High blood pressure: After age 55, women are more likely than men to develop high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. About 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure.
  • Diabetes: Women with diabetes are at greater risk for heart disease than men. And more than 68 percent of people 65 and older with diabetes die from some form of heart disease or stroke.
  • Mental stress and depression: A recent study of people with heart disease found that stress causes a greater reduction in blood flow to the heart in women than in men. Depression is also more detrimental to a woman’s heart and can lead to a…
  • Lack of exercise: Research indicates that women are less likely than men to be physically active, a major risk factor for heart disease.
  • Menopause: Low levels of estrogen in postmenopausal women can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, especially in the smaller blood vessels.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have any of these risk factors for heart disease.

Source: Mayo Clinic, American Heart Association

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