Women's Heart Health
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What Everyone Needs to Know About Heart Disease
Heart Disease is the #1 Killer in the United States.1 You could be at risk without knowing it.
Women, black Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans who are at high risk for heart disease are less likely to receive life-saving treatments.
Take steps to take care of yourself and your heart health. By increasing your knowledge, you can be sure that you receive the treatment you need.
Find out if you are at risk for heart disease »
Did you know?
Your gender, age, ethnicity, or race can add to your chance of developing heart disease.
More women than men die of heart disease, although more men have heart attacks.1
As you age, your risk for heart disease increases.2
At age 40, the lifetime risk for developing heart disease is 2 in 3 for men and more than 1 in 2 for women.1
- Black Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Latino Americans die at earlier ages from heart disease.1
- Take steps to take care of yourself and your heart health. By increasing your knowledge, you can be sure that you receive the treatment you need.
Disparities in Cardiovascular Care
Disparities in cardiovascular care are real and have been documented.
Despite similar prevalence across racial/ethnic groups, women and people of color are treated at a lesser rate for cardiovascular disease than Caucasian men. And with the publication of several recent related studies, as well as the momentum of the Close the Gap educational initiative, disparities in care discussions have become more mainstream and more frequent.
Resources on Disparities in Cardiovascular Care
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cardiac Care: The Weight of the Evidence
- Journal of the ACC: Coalition to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes
- CDC: Health Disparities and Inequities Report for 2011
- US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2009. National Vital Statistics Report
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Putting Women's Health Care Disparities On The Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level (2009)
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): News and Numbers
- Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report
- AHRQ: Health Care for Minority Women: Recent Findings
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