As a woman, do you know what your risk is for developing heart disease? You might be surprised.

Take the quiz below, based on information from the American Heart Association,
and see how much you know about heart disease in women.

Question 1:

Coronary heart disease develops gradually over many years and can easily go undetected.

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The correct answer is

Coronary heart disease takes years to develop, and, in the case of women, it takes almost a decade longer to show up. By then, a woman is often concerned with other health problems such as cancer, arthritis, or osteoporosis. These diseases tend to draw attention away from the steadily ticking time bomb of heart disease.

A. True
B. False

Question 2:

Women don't have to worry about cardiovascular disease. It's primarily a man's problem.

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The correct answer is

Coronary heart disease is the number one killer of American women. More women die of stroke than do men.

A. True
B. False

Question 3:

If a woman has a heart attack, she is more likely to survive than a man.

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The correct answer is

Women have lower chances of surviving heart attacks than men. Studies show that 23 percent of women die within a year, compared with 18 percent of men. At older ages, women who have had heart attacks are twice as likely as men are to die from them within a few weeks.

A. True
B. False

Question 4:

Women are less likely to get heart disease after menopause than before.

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The correct answer is

Many women before menopause seem to be protected from the risk of heart attack and stroke, perhaps by the hormone estrogen, which raises HDL ("good") cholesterol levels while lowering LDL ("bad")cholesterol. But as women approach menopause, around age 50, things change and the average woman's blood cholesterol begins to rise. After menopause, women's risk for heart attack and stroke continues to rise with age. Loss of estrogen is a significant contributor to women's developing heart disease after menopause.

A. True
B. False

Question 5:

When men reach middle age, or about 55, their blood cholesterol levels start to rise,
but women's cholesterol levels seem to stabilize.

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The correct answer is

Most men's cholesterol levels become more stable around age 55, while both LDL and total cholesterol levels in most women start to rise.

A. True
B. False

Question 6:

African American females are more likely than white females to die from coronary heart disease or stroke.

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The correct answer is

The death rate for African American females from coronary heart disease is 30 percent higher than the rate for white females. Death rate from stroke is 38 percent higher for African American females than for white females.

A. True
B. False

Question 7:

Which of the following is the single most important thing a woman can do to reduce her risk of heart attack?

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The correct answer is

Smoking is the greatest single preventable cause of death. For women, smoking is the biggest preventable risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

A. reduce stress
B. start jogging
C. reduce salt in her diet
D. quit smoking

Question 8:

Women smokers double their chances of having a heart attack over women who don't smoke.

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The correct answer is

Women who smoke run more than twice the risk of having a heart attack as women who do not smoke.

A. True
B. False

Question 9:

Women can reduce their risks of heart attack and stroke by following which of these lifestyle habits?

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The correct answer is

Many of the risks for cardiovascular diseases are controllable through healthy life habits. If women take control of their lives and choose habits that promote heart health, they can help prevent heart disease and stroke.

A. quit smoking
B. exercise regularly
C. eat a healthy, low-fat diet
D. control high blood pressure
E. control cholesterol levels
F. maintain their ideal weight
G. get regular medical checkups
H. all of the above

Question 10:

Women with heart disease have a lower risk of stroke.

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The correct answer is

Coronary heart disease is a major risk factor for stroke.

A. True
B. False