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Women & Heart Attacks - Must Read

Are U ar Risk for a Heart Attack?

WOMEN: WARNING!
It Could Be a Heart Attack!

Heart disease will kill one in four women in the United States.
It's not just a man's disease.
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to have some of the other warning signs, such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Other less common heart attack symptoms that women might have include feeling unusually tired and weak. Sometimes, women may have these symptoms, along with trouble sleeping, a few days or weeks before having a heart attack. If you have any of these symptoms in ways that are new or different, don't ignore them. You should call 911 right away!
Heart Disease Facts

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women.
One in three women over the age of 20 have some form of cardiovascular disease.
In 2004, all cardiovascular diseases combined caused the deaths of 461,152 females, 52.9% of all deaths from cardiovascular disease.
One out of four women compared with one out of five men will die within one year after having a heart attack.

A woman's chances of developing coronary heart disease are two to three times greater after she goes through menopause.
More women than men will suffer a second heart attack within five years after their first heart attack.
The death rate from coronary heart disease is 29 percent higher among African American women than Caucasian women.

Women with diabetes have more than two and a half times the risk of dying from coronary heart disease as women without diabetes.
Diabetes doubles the risk of a second heart attack in women.
Only half of women are aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women.

What women should know: The warning signs of a heart attack

It's vital that everyone learn the warning signs of a heart attack because treatments are most effective if given within one hour of when the attack begins. Every minute counts. If you have one or more of these signs of a heart attack, call 911 right away!

Signs of a heart attack:

Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The pain or discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or fullness.
pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, lower jaw, or stomach
feeling like you can't get enough air. This often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.
breaking out in a cold sweat
feeling sick to your stomach and wanting to throw up
feeling dizzy or light-headed
feeling unusually anxious or having a sense of impending doom
feeling unusually tired and weak
It's not always clear when you're having a heart attack. Many heart attacks start slowly, as a mild pain or discomfort. Your symptoms may even come and go. Still, even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, you should have it checked out. Call 911 right away!

Are you having a heart attack? DON'T WAIT.
Women are more likely than men to die of a heart attack. This is partly because they often wait longer than men to call for help.

IF YOU NOTICE ONE OR MORE OF THESE WARNING SIGNS IN ANYONE, DON'T WAIT MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES -- 5 MINUTES AT MOST.

CALL 9-1-1 RIGHT AWAY!