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Breast cancer is the disease front of mind with many women. The fact is that women are more than 10 times more likely to die of a heart attack or a stroke than breast cancer. Breast cancer is the disease front of mind with many women. The fact is that women are more than 10 times more likely to die of a heart attack or a stroke than breast cancer. But it seems that both women and health care professionals often don't think of heart disease until it is too late. Research suggests that women are not good at recognising that they have heart disease, and indeed the nurse who will see you in the emergency department may not recognise it either, which may partly explain why, when women have a heart attack, they can be worse than for men. Rather than having chest pain, women tend to be short of breath, feel tired and perhaps have a sense of pressure in the chest or arm. And they often delay seeking help until they've sorted out the house and family. Then, when they finally get to the Emergency Department, American research has found that triage nurses are more likely to put it down to anxiety or gall bladder problems. One answer is for everyone is to realise that heart disease is as much a killer of women as men.
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