Cardiovascular disease, once considered a ‘man's disease,’ is the number one killer of women in Canada and worldwide.

Consider:

• Women are more likely than men to die of a heart attack or stroke.
• Women are ten times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than from any other disease.
• Women are six times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than from breast cancer. Cardiovascular disease kills more women 65 years of age and older than all cancers combined.
• One in eight women between the ages of 45 and 64 lives with cardiovascular disease.
• One in four women over 65 lives with some form of cardiovascular disease.

In the past, it was believed that women’s cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms differed from those of men. However, it may be that women experience and/or describe pain differently from men. Women need to be educated about the symptoms of heart disease because they tend not to report symptoms to their doctors. And doctors need to recognize and diagnose heart disease in their women patients and provide them with the healthcare they need.

Cardiovascular disease can be prevented. We can learn about the risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and make choices that promote our heart health. For example, we can quit smoking, eat a heart-healthy diet and exercise regularly. Governments and health professionals also have an important role to play in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.