To the Editor:
As a board member of WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, we are issuing a call to action to improve awareness, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the number one killer of women, heart disease. Eight million women are living with heart disease in theU.S. and 35 million more are at risk. Heart disease has historically been considered a man's disease and women with heart disease have faced misdiagnosis, social isolation and inadequate treatment. The quality of care that women receive post diagnosis also needs to improve. These women are more vulnerable to depression than men and need access to emotional and psychological support. Women are still not being referred to cardiac rehabilitation in appropriate numbers nor are they enrolling in clinical trials as frequently as men. If you have heart disease or know other women that do, I invite you to visit www.womenheart.org for essential information on support groups and free educational webinars.
Together, as Heart Sisters, we can reach new milestones in women's health in the fight against the leading killer of women — heart disease.
Elizabeth Noyes
Alexandria