Carrie Fisher's Death Highlights The Reality Of Heart Disease In Women

Carrie Fisher died early Tuesday morning, four days after suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. The actress and author, best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” franchise, was 60 years old.  Experts say that Fisher’s death highlights an important reality about heart disease: It is the leading cause of death among men and women alike in the U.S. While heart disease encompasses many different conditions, a heart attack occurs when coronary arteries become blocked and oxygenated blood can’t reach the heart. About 735,000 Americans have heart attacks every year, but the signs and risk factors that preface a heart attack can be different for men and women. General risk factors for heart disease include diabetes, lack of exercise and smoking. But additional clues can help tip women off to their risk, said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and medical director of the women’s heart program at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. “Most people are familiar with a pretty typical ‘Hollywood’ type of heart attack, where somebody’s clutching their chest and the pain rolls down their arm or up the neck,” Goldberg said. “And while women may have that classic symptom, many times women have symptoms that don’t scream out ‘heart attack.’” The best way to prevent cardiac-related deaths is for women to understand their ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news