Despite the significant return on investment, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests a disproportionate and meager 4% of its budget on heart research, a mere 1% on stroke research, and only 2% on other CVD research [see chart]. This funding level is not commensurate with scientific opportunities, the number of people afflicted with CVD and the physical and economic toll exacted upon our Nation.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and 4 causes of death respectively in the U.S today.1 Lifetime CVD risk at age 45 is 2-in-3 for men and more than 1-in-2 for women.1
More than 40% of the US adult population is projected to have some form of CVD by 2030, with direct and indirect costs exceeding $1 trillion annually.3
Direct costs of stroke will escalate by 238% between 2010 and 2030. Prevalence of stroke is expected to increase by 25% over this time. 3
Take care of yourself
Heart disease is preventable. Here are Goldberg’s top tips:
Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to learn your personal risk for heart disease. You can also learn your risk with our Heart Attack Risk Calculator.
Quit smoking. Did you know that just one year after you quit, you’ll cut your risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent?
Start an exercise program. Just walking 30 minutes a day can lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Modify your family’s diet if needed. Check out these healthy cooking tips. You’ll learn smart substitutions, healthy snacking ideas and better prep methods. For example with poultry, use the leaner light meat (breasts) instead of the fattier dark meat (legs and thighs), and be sure to remove the skin.
Heart Attack Signs in Women
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a
cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
Even when the signs are subtle, the consequences can be deadly, especially if the victim doesn’t get help right away.
‘I thought I had the flu’
Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions like acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.
“They do this because they are scared and because they put their families first,” Goldberg said. “There are still many women who are shocked that they could be having a heart attack.”
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