Heart disease is the main cause of death for American women. It is a group of diseases of the heart and the blood vessel system within the heart. Coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart disease, affects the blood vessels (or coronary arteries) of the heart. It causes angina and heart attacks. Angina is a pain in the chest that happens when a part of the heart does not get enough blood. It feels like a pressing or squeezing pain, often in the chest under the breastbone, but sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. Angina seldom causes permanent damage to the heart, like a heart attack. During a heart attack, you can feel chest pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts longer than a few minutes, or comes and goes, spreading pain to one or both arms, back, jaw, or stomach, or cold sweats and nausea. Some women don't have these symptoms but may have other symptoms, such as an upset stomach, burning feeling in the upper abdomen, and lightheadedness. A heart attack can cause permanent damage to the heart and maybe even death. If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 or see your health care provider right away.

African American women are more likely to die from heart disease than other groups of women. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, not exercising, and smoking all put women at risk for heart disease. In addition, studies have shown that African Americans don't receive the same care for heart disease as Whites because they don't receive the same procedures and treatments.

Publications

1. For Your Heart - This portion of the NWHIC web site will escort you through a short, confidential survey of questions about your health and lifestyle. Based on your answers, it will provide you with a series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure and other factors that affect you and your risk for heart disease - all tailored to your needs.

2. Be Heart Smart! Eat Food Lower in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol - This booklet offers specific information on lowering the fat in your diet and identifies steps to promote healthy lifestyles among African Americans.

3. Embrace Your Health! Lose Weight if You Are Overweight - This booklet provides specific information on reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and identifies steps to promote healthy lifestyles among African Americans.

4. Facts About Heart Disease and Women: Kicking the Smoking Habit - Cigarette smoking is a habit that greatly increases your chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Surprisingly, smoking by women in this country causes almost as many deaths from heart disease as from lung cancer. This fact sheet explains the health consequences of smoking, the benefits of smoking cessation, and gives some tips for quitting successfully.

5. Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African American Style - Prepare your favorite African American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. These 20 tested recipes will show you how to cut back on saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, and sodium and still have great-tasting food. Delicious foods from spicy southern barbecued chicken to sweet potato pie are included.

6. Refresh Yourself! Stop Smoking - This booklet offers specific information on how to quit smoking and identifies steps to promote healthy lifestyles among African Americans.

Organizations

1. American Heart Association

2. Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc.

3. Black Women's Health Online

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

5. Heart Truth: A National Awareness Campaign for Women about Heart Disease, The

6. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center, NHLBI, NIH, HHS

7. Sister to Sister - Everyone has a Heart Foundation

8. WomenHeart - National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease