I n the year since JoAnna's life came close to ending, she has learned a lot about her heart and health. As JoAnna's case illustrates, heart disease doesn't just affect men. Yet research shows few women are aware of the risks. It wants women to understand the risks of heart disease, to discover how their symptoms and treatment can differ from men's and to take charge in preventing this annual killer of half a million women in the United States. In 1995, more than 500,000 women died from cardiovascular diseases, compared with 455,000 men.
Strokes are the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in women.
Of the women who die suddenly of heart disease, about 63 percent had no previous signs of it. The heart requires a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to feed the pumping action of this vital muscle. Karunaratne, of Florida Cardiology, says cardiovascular diseases refer to a variety of conditions where the blood supply to the heart is prevented or diminished. Other conditions fall into this broad category, including high blood pressure, which often results in strokes. T he American Heart Association groups risk factors for heart disease and stroke into those that cannot be changed and those that can be changed, treated or modified.