Heart Smarts

My mother-in-law was invited to a women's health forum and luncheon at one of the big hospitals in the Boston area, and she invited me along as her guest. We heard presentations from a nutritionist (who also planned our delicious heart-healthy lunch) and a cardiologist who specializes in cardiovascular health for women. Even though much of what we heard about heart disease is what most people already know, it's always good to hear it again, and I even learned some new tidbits of information:

- Heart disease kills nearly twice as many women in the US as cancer. It is the number one killer of both men and women.

- 38% of women will die within the first year of their first heart attack; 62% of women who die suddenly from heart attach will have had no prior symptoms.

- 46% of women will be disabled within 6 years of their first heart attack compared to only 22% of men.

- Of those heart attack patients who were under 50, over 70% were smokers.

- Females who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day are 6 times more likely to have a cardiovascular event than non-smoking females. Males who smoke a pack or more are at a 3 times risk over their non-smoking counterparts.


Snapped this, appropriately enough, in my father-in-law's garden when I dropped my mother-in-law off at her house.