Not many women know that heart attacks are harder to detect in women than in men. Because heart attacks and other diseases of the cardiovascular system have sightly different and more subtle symptoms in women than in men, women can often go for years without having a heart issue detected.

Cholesterol plays an important part in a woman's cardiovascular health. So does exercise, diet, stress level and being well adjusted mentally. Because women's cardiovascular health slips under the radar, there are currently over 8 million women in America living with some kind of undetected heart disease.

Many of us assume that the leading killer of American women would be smoking, drinking, or another more obvious problem. In fact, the leading killer of American women is heart disease. Heart disease is directly responsible for 32% of their deaths.

How can you tell if you are one of the women in America at risk for heart disease, stroke, or other cardiovascular dangers? If you are African American, your chance of getting heart disease is 72% higher than it is for caucasian women. If you smoke, you have just lowered the age at which your heart health will begin to decline significantly. You could have your first heart attack nearly 20 years sooner than women who don't smoke.

If you are a woman who has been diagnosed with an illness like diabetes, your chances of having a heart attack is much greater than a woman without diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to have heart disease. You are also more likely to have high blood pressure if you are overweight, another significant risk factor in heart disease.

In spite of being in such a high risk group for heart disease, women make up only 25% of the participants in all research studies being done on heart disease. Even though more women than men fall victim to fatal heart disease each year, they make up the smallest number of patients receiving heart care.

If you or someone you love has exhibited symptoms of heart disease (shortness of breath with little to no exertion, rapid heart rate, palpitations, cold sweat, chest pain, numbness in your arm or leg), please see your doctor for an evaluation as soon as possible.

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