2011 Guidelines For The Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women – The Need for Efficacy

Since the 80's there has been a steady decrease in death rate from heart disease for MEN, unfortunately, the rate for WOMEN has remained unacceptably high. Why?

WHO statistics show that heart disease is the number one killer of women as common CVD symptoms manifest themselves differently in women than men. During heart attacks women may experience indigestion related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath or extreme fatigue and quite often no chest pain, thus attributing the discomfort to something other than the heart.

In India where heart disease is taking on epidemic proportions rural women surprisingly are at an even greater risk then urban women due to poor education, lack of screening and prompt treatment during an attack. The major causes of heart disease amongst women are the increasing rates of hypertension and obesity.

Even in industrialized nations the statistics are grim for women. Did you know that in the US one woman still dies of CVD every minute. Nearly 2 out of 3 women over the age of 20 years in the US are overweight or obese. This is also a major contributing factor to diabetes mellitus type 2 amongst women. Diabetes is associated with an overall risk of developing myocardial infarction and stroke.

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