Too It's thought of as a man's disease, but it kills more women than men. Coronary heart disease is the single largest killer of American women, claiming more lives than any form of cancer. All heart and blood vessel diseases combined kill more than 485,000 women each year. The physicians of Texas Medical Association urge you to learn the facts about women and heart disease, and if you're a woman, take the necessary steps to save your life.
Women have some different heart disease symptoms than men, particularly symptoms of heart attack.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that these symptoms can be caused by other conditions, and, therefore, should be evaluated by a physician. Women and men have many of the same risk factors for heart disease, but some of these risk factors have greater impacts on women. Diabetes is one such risk factor. The risk of heart attack and stroke is higher for diabetic women than diabetic men. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is another major risk factor for both women and men.