Young Women's Heart Disease

The American Heart Association reports that most young women do not recognize the warning signs of heart disease. Not only is it one of the leading causes of death in women age 55 and younger, but it accounts for more than 400,000 hospitalizations annually.

Prevention

• Heart disease is preventable and manageable for young women. Stay physically active, don't smoke, eat healthy, keep off the extra pounds and have your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides monitored regularly.

Symptoms

• Researchers at Yale found that common signs of a coronary event among young women include chest pain, pain in the jaw or shoulder, sweating, nausea and shortness of breath.

Testing

• Unlike cancers and diabetes, there is no one test to diagnose heart disease. Young women should have doctor checkups at least once annually and ask about their specific risk factors, such as weight, smoking or family history of heart problems.

Treatment Options

• A balloon angioplasty is one of the most common treatments for women with coronary artery disease. This procedure widens a narrow or clogged artery in the heart, allowing blood to flow more easily.

Mortality Rate

• About 16,000 young women die each year from coronary heart disease. One study, presented at an American Heart Association symposium, found that young women with heart disease are twice as likely to die while hospitalized compared to men of the same age.