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Heart Disease in Women

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States and outnumbers deaths from other causes including lung disease, lung cancer and breast cancer combined together.

More women than men over fifty-five years of age are affected by heart disease (which includes heart attack, heart failure, stroke and high blood pressure).

Although the number of deaths among men affected by heart disease has steadily declined in the last two decades, these numbers have not changed much for women.

Why Does Heart Disease Affect Women Differently?

Lack of Data

Women are underrepresented in most of the clinical trials.

Delayed Treatment

Women have a greater delay to presentation to the emergency room and greater delay to treatment after suffering from a heart attack.

Less Aggressive Treatment

Women with heart disease are under-referred, evaluated less intensively and do not receive aggressive treatment compared to men with similar disease.

Compared to men, women receive less or fewer:

cholesterol screenings
lipid-lowering therapies
use of heparin, beta-blockers and aspirin during myocardial infarction (heart attack)
antiplatelet therapy for secondary prevention
implantable cardioverter-defibrillators compared to men with the same recognized indications

Fewer Referrals

Women are under-referred to cardiologists for the management of heart failure compared to men.
They are also under-referred for stress testing and for cardiac rehabilitation compared to men.
Women have increased delays to referral for coronary angiography and are less likely to receive coronary angiography.

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