A recent national study conducted by the American Heart Association, showed that less than 50% of American women know that heart disease is the leading cause of death. The study included more than 1,000 women of various ethnic and racial origins. More women in the study knew that heart disease is the leading killer of women in similar studies conducted in 1997 and 2000, but there is still much room for improvement. Cardiovascular disease-the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, costing the lives of nearly 500,000 women each year. It's almost one death every minute. Being aware of the risk of heart disease is important because it is a first step in taking action to lower the risk. Because heart disease can often be prevented, the survey results are an urgent call to action. The American Heart Association and 11 other major national health organizations came together to develop guidelines for the prevention of heart disease among women. They include a rating scale to express the strength of recommendations and the quality of research in support of specific preventive therapies. Each recommendation has been categorized to help doctors and women who decide to preventive therapies should or should not be used. One category of Class I indicates that the type of treatment should be provided regularly. Class IIa indicates that the majority of scientific evidence supports providing the type of treatment, while Class IIb indicates the usefulness of therapy is less well established. Class III shows that the type of treatment is not helpful and may be harmful. Aware of personal risk and treatment options may allow a woman to live a long and healthy life. Doctors who follow these guidelines will be able to help women and to make lifestyle changes better choose the right medication to help prevent or treat heart disease. In developing these guidelines, a group of renowned health professionals and scientists considered the highest quality of the search from a search of nearly 7,000 scientific articles on topics of importance on the prevention of heart disease. The experts used the findings to develop clinical guidelines to help physicians provide the best preventive care center for women. The guidelines were also designed to help women achieve a healthy life for the hearts and reduce their chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Raising awareness, knowledge and action are by far the most important factors to say "goodbye" (ALOHA) to the No. 1 killer of women.
