heart smart?

take this simple quiz and find out!

Did you know that one in 10 women ages 45 to 65 years has some form of heart disease, and that the ratio increases to one in four women older than age 65? Take this quiz, sponsored by The Women’s Heart Program at the Strong Heart & Vascular Center, to find out how savvy you are on this topic.

QUESTIONS:
1) Heart disease is the number one killer of American women.
True or False

2) Heart disease kills more women than men.
True or False

3) Most women are doing all they can to help prevent heart attacks.
True or False

4) Health care professionals support using aspirin as part of a cardiovascular event risk-reduction strategy.
True or False

5) Which of the following are risk factors used to assess a woman’s (or a man’s) personal risk of heart disease?
a. Age
b. Previous heart problems
c. Cholesterol levels
d. Blood pressure or diabetes
e. Family history
f. Smoking habits
g. All of the above

6) Which of the following are steps you can take
to help prevent heart disease?
a. Have your doctor assess your personal cardiovascular risk
b. Exercise and stop smoking
c. Eat a healthy diet
d. Ask your doctor whether a daily aspirin regimen is right for you
e. All of the above

ANSWERS:

1) True. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease kills about half a million American women each year -- roughly one a minute.

2) True. However, nearly three-fourths of women in the ACPM survey did not consider themselves to be at equal or greater risk of having a heart attack than a man.

3) False. Nearly half of the women respondents at increased risk for heart attack or stroke were not taking one proven prevention tool: aspirin. If you’re at increased risk for heart attack, your doctor may recommend aspirin therapy to help lower that risk. Aspirin has over 100 years of proven safety and efficacy, but be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

4) True. Nearly all the health care professionals surveyed said they recommend aspirin therapy as a way to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event for patients at increased risk.

5) g -All of the above. Your health care provider can determine which risk category you fall into -- low, moderate or high and can provide suggestions to reduce your risk.

6) e -All of the above. You can work with your doctor to develop a cardiovascular event prevention program that suits your individual health needs.