February is American Heart Month, and unfortunately, most of us know someone who has had heart disease or stroke. According the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. These conditions are also leading causes of disability preventing people from working and enjoying family activities. Cardiovascular disease is also very expensive—together heart disease and stroke hospitalizations in 2010 cost the nation more than $444 billion in health care expenses and lost productivity.

In September 2011 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched 1 Million Hearts™,  a national initiative that is being promoted to help prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over five years.  Visit the HHS for more information.

According to WomenHeart.org:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing more than a third.
• CVD caused 1 death per minute among women in 2007. That represents more female lives than were claimed by cancer, Alzheimer disease, and accidents combined.
• 421,918 deaths in American women are caused by CVD each year.
• 61,256 women die each year from heart attacks.

Heart disease is often dismissed as an “older man’s disease.” To raise awareness of the number one killer of women, The American Heart Association (AHA) created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health. Heart disease can affect women of any age. Download some heart health tools on AHA's Go Red For Women site.

For additional information on heart disease related issues such as cholesterol; high blood pressure; heart attack; and much more go to National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

MedlinePlus also contains a vast amount of information on Heart Diseases including: overviews, latest news, treatments and much more.