Coronary heart disease is every woman's concern. Did you know that one in ten women, ages 45 to 64, has some form of heart disease. This increases to one in five women over age 65 and another 1.6 million women have had a stroke. Both heart disease and stroke are known as cardiovascular diseases, which are serious disorders of the heart and blood vessel system.
Cigarette smoking is a habit that greatly increases your chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Smoking by women causes almost as many deaths from heart disease as from lung cancer. If you smoke, you are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than a nonsmoking woman, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke. There is simply no safe way to smoke. If you now use cigarettes, you can stop. There are as many ex-smokers in this country today as there are smokers.
There is nothing easy about giving up cigarettes, but the results are well worth it. In the first year after stopping smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease drops sharply. It then gradually returns to "normal" - that is, the same risk as someone who never smoked. So no matter what your age, quitting will lessen your chances of developing heart disease.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk. So take action - take control!
Return next week for more helpful tips on learning how to quit. It will make a difference in your life!
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