One of the most common diseases found in black women is that they have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke than white women. Compared with whites, African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke. Heart disease isn't just a man's disease. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases are devastating to women, too. In fact, coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the leading cause of death for black women. Many women believe that cancer is more of a threat, but they're wrong. Nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease and stroke as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. The American Heart Association has identified several factors that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The more risk factors a woman has, the greater her risk of a heart attack or stroke. Some of these risk factors you can't control, such as increasing age, family health history, and race and gender. But you can modify, treat or control most risk factors to lower your risk.
Despite having the greatest risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer (CRC) of any gender, race or ethnicity, an astounding “96 percent of African American women do not consider themselves to be at high risk for the disease” (Web 10), according to a new Harris poll. This alarming misperception has resulted in deadly inaction, with “70 percent of African American women over the age of 45 not getting potentially life-saving screenings for CRC” (Web 2). One year after the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) issued updated guidelines for African Americans to begin earlier CRC screenings at age 45, African American women have not gotten the message.
A strongly hereditary form is early onset black women Alzheimer's disease, which strikes before age 60.....................
