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A shock wave was sent off as The New England Journal of Medicine published a report stating that:

• Women younger than 50 years old are most likely to die of a heart attack.
• Younger women have a greater chance of dying of a heart attack than men.

This study revealed that women who were 50 or younger were twice as likely to die from a heart attack than men of the same age. The high death rates in the younger women could be due to the fact that these women tend not to take heart medications and aspirin to prevent heart attacks.

Traditionally heart attacks
have been mostly a man's disease.
The truth is that the number one killer of women is heart disease. The problem lies in the misunderstanding that women don't have heart attacks and disease as do the men. Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed when going to the doctor's or emergency rooms complaining of chest pain and other classic symptoms of a heart disease.

These symptoms in women tend to be attributed to other ailments and are less likely than with men to be seen as a heart attack. This accounts for the high death rate among women heart attack patients. Younger women also tend to wait longer to get to the hospital when having these signs of a heart attack because they don't know that heart disease is just as common in women as in men. A woman's first heart attack is usually her last.

A heart attack occurs when one of the major arteries that supply the heart with oxygen becomes blocked. Cholesterol deposits are the most common cause of the blockage. This blocking or lack of oxygen leads to heart damage. It is this lack of oxygen that causes the chest pain most commonly associated with a heart attack.

Symptoms of a heart attack:

• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes
• Pain that spreads to the shoulders
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of Breath
• Pain radiating to the arm and or jaw
• Heartburn
• Back pain

References

The New England Journal of Medicine
July 22, 1999 -- Vol. 341, No. 4
Sex-Based Differences in Early Mortality after Myocardial Infarction Viola Vaccarino, Lori Parsons, Nathan R. Every, Hal V. Barron, Harlan M. Krumholz, for the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction
Conclusions.
After myocardial infarction, younger women, but not older women, have higher rates of death during hospitalization than men of the same age. The younger the age of the patients, the higher the risk of death among women relative to men. Younger women with myocardial infarction represent a high-risk group deserving of special study. (N Engl. J Med 1999;341:217-25.)
Address reprint requests to Dr. Vaccarino at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, 60 College St., P.O. Box 208034, New Haven, CT 06520-8034, or at viola.vaccarino@yale.edu

"The Women's Heart Book"
by Charlotte Libov
hosted by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Charlotte Libov is an award winning medical author and a contributor to The New York Times and other national publications. She says, "Of the nearly one half million Americans who will die from heart attacks each year, half of them will be women. This makes heart attack the number one cause of death in women, with about 235,000 women projected to die from them this year alone. Yet, despite this, most women remain unaware of the danger heart attack poses them." In this interview, we discuss the importance of looking at heart disease specifically from a women's perspective; along with a great excerpts from the book about how heart attack symptoms are often overlooked by women and their doctors; and how YOU can tell if you are having a heart attack. Join our support group and ask your questions, too!!

Cholesterol 101:
How to lower your risk
by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
What's in a number?
There seems to be a lot to know about cholesterol levels.  You hear about "good" cholesterol and then the "bad" cholesterol.   Most folks think all cholesterol is the "bad".  Right?
Find out what you can do

Meet the author
Linda Ojeda, Ph.D
"Her Healthy Heart" &
"Menopause Without Medicine"
interview & FREE excerpt
Alcohol: The Double Edged Sword
In her latest book, Her Healthy Heart, Linda again is in front of the health pack.  She rings the warning bell for all women to wake up and recognize that heart disease is as big a problem for women as it is for men.   Not only do women have a six times greater chance of dying from heart disease when compared with deaths  from  breast cancer, women are often misdiagnosed and do not receive the proper heart care. Her Healthy Heart is filled with practical and useful ways for women to keep their hearts healthy and prevent heart disease.  She also provides natural ways to prevent and reverse heart disease.

"Do You Know the Difference Between a Heart Attack & Indigestion"
by Sue Spataro, RN, BSN
Learn about the signs and symptoms of heart attack and eight ways you can help prevent this

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Cholesterol : Lowering and Controlling:
3 Week Plan Handbook and Cookbook
by Patricia T. Krimmel, Edward Krimmel

also see
Cholesterol 101
SAVE YOUR LIFE! Every minute of every day: Three Americans have a heart attack, one American dies from a heart attack Think about it! Lowering and controlling your cholesterol are the foremost things you can do to help your heart be healthy. This user friendly book tells you all you need to know to lower and control your cholesterol.

Suzanne Somers':
Get Skinny on Fabulous Food
by Suzanne Somers

Somersizing is not a diet, but a way of life. In Get Skinny on Fabulous Food you will find inspiring testimonials from some of Suzanne's greatest success stories, people who have lost weight, lowered blood pressure, and eliminated digestive problems by Somersizing.

The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure:
How to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol by Up to 40 Percent Without Drugs or Deprivation
by Robert E. Kowalski, Albert A. Kattus

Lower your blood cholesterol by up to 40 percent. Cut your risk of heart attack in half . Millions have seen dramatic results you can too! In this revised paperback with four new chapters not found in the hardcover edition Robert E. Kowalski offers a safe, effective, and revolutionary new approach to lowering blood cholesterol without drugs or deprivation.

Smart Fats:
How Dietary Fats and Oils Affect Mental, Physical and Emotional Intelligence
by Michael A. Schmidt

also see
Heart Health
Written by a research scientist in the field of nutrition, this book describes how the body's digestive, communication, and nervous systems function, and links fatty acid intake to memory, mood and behavior. Schmidt explains how most "low-fat" diets are actually unhealthy and how many people today get little or none of important fatty acids like omega-3 in their junk-food meals. 10 charts & tables.