New treatments, if given quickly, can stop a heart attack in progress. These treatments work best if given within an hour of the first warning signs. Heart attack is the number one cause of death among women. Women are more likely to die of heart attack than of any other cause, three times more likely to die of heart attack than breast cancer. At older ages, women are twice as likely as men to die from heart attacks within a few weeks of the attack.
Women have heart attacks, on average, when they're older.
Some 85 percent of all heart attack deaths in women occur over the age of 65. Older age makes diagnosis more difficult, contributing to delay. Since women tend to be older, they may have other health problems - arthritis, osteoporosis or diabetes, for example. Such complications make it harder to diagnose a heart attack and treat it quickly. Women should talk with their doctors about these complications before a heart attack occurs.