Health Insurance Daily

Female Employees Need Targeted Information About Heart Disease Risk, Prevention

Women are increasingly aware of cardiovascular disease, their No. 1 killer, but many aren't doing enough to prevent it, physicians and other health experts say.

As the workforce ages, bad habits such as smoking and physical inactivity could mean heartache for employers in the form of steep medical bills and lost productivity.

According to Benefitnews, what was long considered a condition of middle-aged men, cardiovascular disease in fact affects more women.

Of the 70.1 million American adults with this chronic condition in 2002, 37.6 million (54%) were women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

"It's an under-recognized problem for women, so screening and early treatment are important," says Dr. Sharonne Hayes, director of the Women's Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

posted by Mike @ 10:56 AM