‘Say Aaah’ : Vitals : A Deadly Toll for Women

One in 10 women ages 45 to 64 has some form of cardiovascular disease, according to statistics compiled this year by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Other numbers:

* At about 500,000 deaths a year, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States.

* Cardiovascular disease, including stroke (also called a “brain attack”) and heart attack, claims more women than the number who die from the next 16 causes of death combined.

* Every year since 1984 it’s killed more women than men.

* Many women are concerned about breast cancer. Although it takes the lives of one in 26 women, cardiovascular disease claims one in two.