Heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Although it is typically viewed as a man's disease, more women actually die of heart disease each year than do men. On average, women develop heart disease later in life than do men. In addition, women are more likely to have other co-existing, chronic conditions that may mask their symptoms of heart disease than are men.
Symptoms of a heart attack in women may also differ from those in men, which can lead to a misdiagnosis of the disease in women. Women who recover from a heart attack are more likely to have a stroke or to have another heart attack than are men. In fact, 42 percent of women die within a year following a heart attack compared to 24 percent of men.
