Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Pennsylvania females.
Stroke is the third leading cause of female deaths in Pennsylvania. In women, deaths from cardiovascular disease far exceed the deaths from breast, uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of both women and men. A major cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, the thickening, narrowing, and hardening of the arteries. It is a progressive condition which eventually ends in slowed blood flow to and through the heart and brain.