"Women and Heart Disease" Program

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is conducting a free seminar called "Women and Heart Disease—An Evening Dedicated to Women's Health" on Tuesday, February 11 (snow date is February 18) from 6-8 p.m. at the Litchfield Community Center, Route 202 in Litchfield. The event includes free body fat analysis, free blood pressure screening, free blood-glucose screening, and free skin screening for sun damage; cholesterol screenings are also available for a $10 fee. The screenings are available from 6-7 p.m., and will be followed by talks by Charlotte Hungerford cardiologist Dr. Carrie Wolfberg and Laurene Wallace, R.N., B.S.N., Team Leader for Cardiac and Pulmonary Care.

Almost twice as many women die from cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, and stroke is the third leading cause of death for American women. Over 227,000 women die of heart disease each year, five times the number of women who die from breast cancer. While it is true that men have heart attacks and strokes more often than women, the death rate for women from cardiovascular disease is higher. As women age, particularly after menopause, they become more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Lower levels of estrogen during and after menopause are thought to double a woman's risk for cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease affects women of all racial and ethnic groups, as well as women with other illnesses, such as diabetes. Even younger women are at risk if they smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and/or a family history of cardiovascular disease at young ages. Plan to attend "Women and Heart Disease" to learn what you can do to protect yourself. Please call 860-496-9512 by February 10 to register.