Cardiovascular disease kills 1 in 3 South African women yet most sufferers have no obvious symptoms until it’s too late.

Cape Town cardiologist Professor Joe Tyrrell says women have a nine times greater chance of having a heart attack than contracting breast cancer – yet we still believe it’s a predominately male illness. Risk factors include high cholesterol levels, smoking, stress, abdominal fat and diabetes. “Smoking is an invitation to disaster,” he says.

“The risk of sudden death from heart disease is 52 percent in women, and 43 percent in men. This is often because symptoms are not always obvious in women,” Professor Tyrrell says.
“In women, the symptoms are often atypical and non-specific: nausea, general malaise and tiredness being a few.”

To assess your risk of heart disease:

- know your family history
- know your numbers – BMI (20-25) for the average woman, cholesterol (should be less than 5), blood glucose (5.5 is ideal) and blood pressure (130/85) is a safe range
- consider your age, gender and weight

To reduce your risk:

- stop smoking
- exercise regularly
- increase your intake of fruit and vegetables
- increase your intake of oily fish

“Cardiovascular disease is one of women’s greatest health risks yet it is also one of the most preventable. Primary prevention is paramount,” Prof Tyrrell says.