Heart Disease in Women

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

In the United States, 1 in 4 women dies from heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease in both men and women is narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself. This is called coronary artery disease, and it happens slowly over time. It's the major reason people have heart attacks.

Heart diseases that affect women more than men include

• Coronary microvascular disease (MVD) - a problem that affects the heart's tiny arteries
• Broken heart syndrome - extreme emotional stress leading to severe but often short-term heart muscle failure

The older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get heart disease. But women of all ages should be concerned about heart disease. All women can take steps to prevent it by practicing healthy lifestyle habits.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Healthy Heart Handbook for Women (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - PDF
• Heart Disease (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Heart Health for Women (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Heart Truth for Women: An Action Plan (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - PDF

Symptoms

• Heart Attack Symptoms in Women (American Heart Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Heart Health Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Screening Tests for Women Who Have Heart Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Tests That Can Help Protect Your Heart Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Aspirin to Prevent a First Heart Attack or Stroke (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Heart Disease and Stroke (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Heart Disease in Women: Understand Symptoms and Risk Factors (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Heart Disease Risk Factors (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Major Risk Factors for Heart Disease: Diabetes (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Major Risk Factors for Heart Disease: High Blood Cholesterol (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Major Risk Factors for Heart Disease: Overweight and Obesity (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Treatments and Therapies

• Medications (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Living With

• Calcium Supplements: A Risk Factor for Heart Attack? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Eat for Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
• Heart Healthy Eating (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Breast Cancer Chemotherapy and Your Heart (American Heart Association)
• CHD's Impact on Females (American Heart Association)
• Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Heart Disease in Hispanic Women (American Heart Association)
• High Blood Pressure and Women (American Heart Association)
• Hormone Replacement Therapy and Your Heart (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Menopause and Heart Disease (American Heart Association)
• Other Factors That Affect Heart Disease: Birth Control Pills (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Q and A: Birth Control for Women with Congenital Heart Disease (Adult Congenital Heart Association)

Specifics

• Heart Attack and Women (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Heart Truth for Latinas (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• How Does Heart Disease Affect Women? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• What is Broken Heart Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Statistics and Research

• Data and Statistics: Women and Heart Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heart Disease in Women (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease.
• Article: Women-specific risk factors for heart failure: A genetic approach.
• Article: Gender specific considerations in atrial fibrillation treatment: a review.
• Heart Disease in Women -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia (American Heart Association)
• How the Heart Works (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Patient Handouts

• Heart disease and women (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heart Truth for Women: If You Have Heart Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - PDF