According to Heart Disease survivor Katy Kastan, 8 million women are currently living with heart disease, and this number is expected to rise to 12 million within a decade. Heart disease kills about 367,000 women in America each year -- meaning it kills more women than men on average. Women under 50 are more likely to die after a heart attack than men. Moreover, women receive less referrals to heart specialists for diagnostic screening than men. Why is this? That unfortunate answer is that no one knows. The National Health Institute has discovered that heart disease in many women is generally contained to small heart vessels, meaning it can often go undetected using traditional screening and tests. But that's just the beginning in understanding why men and women differ so greatly when it comes to matters of the heart. But knowledge is the first step to changing the system, so if you'd like to find out more about how to help, check out Kathy Kastan's blog.
