Women Discover Cardiovascular Disease
Women are most likely to be misdiagnosed when it comes to heart disease. Having a Heart2Heart conversation with Sheila Caldwell as she celebrates her 10th re-birthday. Sheila Caldwell created Heart2Heart Foundation because of her journey. She informed our audience that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America. This disease claims the lives of women, and that’s more than all forms of cancer yet only about 44% of women understand that cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the phrase used to describe conditions that affect the heart’s structure. Heart disease is when the arteries of the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. It’s so sad that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Here’s some stats to swallow from Heart2Heart Foundation. Nearly 45% of women age 20 and older are living with some form of CVD. It’s the #1 killer of new mother’s and account for third of maternal deaths. Black women are some of the highest maternal death rates. Also 10-20% of women will have a health issue during pregnancy , including high blood pressure, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes greatly increase a women’s risk of heart disease later in life. During menopause we lose estrogen, which helps protect our hearts; that means CVD risk factors can accelerate and make us more vulnerable. More than half of deaths due to hypertension are women … and more than half of those women, are black and affected more than any other race or ethnicity. May is also National High Blood Pressure, Stroke and Mental Awareness Month. Over 57% of stroke deaths are women.
