Heart Facts for Women
Nearly half of all the deaths from heart disease each year are in women.
Heart disease is not a just a disease which affects men. It accounts for one in four deaths in men and one in six deaths in women.

• 50,000 women die of heart disease each year.
• In two thirds of women who die suddenly from heart disease, there are no previous symptoms of disease.
• Heart disease kills four times more women than breast cancer.
• Heart disease and diseases of the blood vessels together claim twice as many women's lives as all forms of cancer.

Why do men get heart disease earlier?

Men are more likely to develop heart disease earlier than women because women are protected by the female sex hormone oestrogen. It actively protects against heart disease by creating a more favourable balance of blood fats; higher HDL-cholesterol, good cholesterol; lower triglyceride levels; and by contributing to the elasticity and health of the arteries. However, after the menopause this natural protection vanishes and women's risk of developing heart disease rises to equal that of men. Currently hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not recommended as a treatment to stop heart disease developing or to benefit women who have heart disease already.

• Women should take heart disease seriously.
• Women who have gone through the menopause are more at risk.
• Women are just as likely to develop heart disease if they smoke and just as likely to benefit if they stop.

The good news is that whether you are a man or a woman there are many changes that you can make to your lifestyle to reduce your risk of heart disease.