Lead researcher Dr. Lori Mosca, professor of medicine and director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, has shared information about the high rates of heart disease in women from a survey published in the journal of the American Heart Association.
Over half of women were not aware that heart disease is the number #1 killer of women in the USA. Way ahead of breast cancer. Post menopausal and African American women are even higher risk groups.
The disturbing findings include that less than half of women polled were likely to call 911 when they are faced with symptoms of cardiac distress and that women have a greater likelihood of not surviving a severe heart attack even after admission to a hospital.
Dr. Mosca points out that some of the surveys dramatic gender difference results are due to women living longer than men, heart disease being a disease of aging, thus a higher of number of women have reported cardiac conditions.
Still there is concern of the lack of awareness of the high risk of heart disease for women by their families, their physicians and themselves.
Dr. Sharon Ufberg 