The director of King Salman Heart Center at King Fahd Medical City, Dr. Fahad Al Ghofaili said that heart diseases cause the death of 500 thousand women around the world each year, and that one of three women dies due to these diseases.
"Heart diseases not only affect aging men, but women are at risk too. A lot of communities think that the most common causes of women deaths are breast and uterine cancers, but statistics showed that 1 of 9 women dies of cancer, while one out of three women dies due to heart diseases." Al Ghofaili said after the opening events of the Awareness Day of woman's heart health, which was organized by the KFMC yesterday.
He added "27% of the Saudi society is diabetic, and 50% of Saudi women are obese", pointing out that the high pressure, smoking and lack of movement are the causes leading to failure of arteries and heart diseases.
Al Ghofaili explained that awareness days contribute in reducing the number of deaths by 20%; according to the American Heart Association, 90% of the two million Americans who visited these awareness days visit a doctor once a year, 35% quit smoking, 63% follow a diet, and 44% have a decrease in cholesterol.