As a woman, do you know what your risk is of developing heart disease?
You might be surprised. Take this quiz to see how much you know about heart disease in women. The quiz is based on information from the American Heart Association.
Gender words are used here to talk about anatomy and health risk. Please use this information in a way that works best for you and your provider as you talk about your care.
1. Coronary heart disease develops gradually over many years. It can easily go undetected.
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Coronary heart disease takes years to develop, and, in the case of women, it generally takes almost a decade longer to show up than it does in men. Estrogen helps protect women against heart disease. It reduces the risk for heart disease until a woman goes through menopause. After that point, the risk for heart disease in women is the same as that for men.
2. Women don’t have to worry about cardiovascular disease. It’s mainly a problem for men.
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Many people think that breast cancer is the biggest health concern for women. But coronary heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. More women die from stroke than do men.
3. If a woman has a heart attack, they are more likely to survive than a man.
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Women have a lower chance of surviving heart attacks than men do. Studies show that more women die within a year of having a heart attack than men. At older ages, women who have had heart attacks are more likely than men to die from them within a few weeks.
4. Women are less likely to get heart disease after menopause than before.
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Before menopause, many women seem to be protected from heart attack and stroke. This may be from the hormone estrogen. Estrogen raises HDL (good) cholesterol levels and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol. But as women approach menopause, around age 50, things change. The blood cholesterol of an average woman begins to rise. After menopause, the risk for heart attack and stroke in women continues to rise with age. Loss of estrogen is a large contributor to women developing heart disease after menopause.
5. When men reach middle age, or about 55, their blood cholesterol levels start to rise. But the cholesterol levels of women seem to stay about the same.
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Cholesterol levels become more stable in men around age 55. But in most women, both LDL and total cholesterol levels start to rise. This is because the levels of estrogen fall after menopause.
6. African-American women are more likely than white women to have cardiovascular disease.
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Nearly half of African-American women have cardiovascular disease. Only 7 out of 20 white women have CVD.
7. Which of the following is the single most important thing a woman can do to reduce their risk for heart attack?
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Smoking is the greatest single preventable cause of death. Smoking has been linked with half of all heart-related problems in women. For women, smoking is the biggest preventable risk factor for heart attack and stroke. This is also true for men.
8. Women who smoke are 3 times more likely to have a heart attack than women who don’t smoke.
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For women, smoking is the most important preventable risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
9. Women can reduce their risks for heart attack and stroke by following which of these lifestyle habits?
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Other healthy habits are controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular checkups. Many of the risks for cardiovascular diseases can be controlled by choosing healthy life habits. If women take control of their lives and choose habits that promote heart health, they can help prevent heart disease and stroke.
10. Women with heart disease have a lower risk for stroke.
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Coronary heart disease is a major risk factor for stroke.
