[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HELPING WOMEN COMBAT HEART DISEASE

  (Mrs. CAPITO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, as many of us know, February has been 
designated American Heart Month. Too many Americans are suffering from 
heart disease, especially women. It is a little known fact that heart 
disease is a leading cause of deaths among women, with over 370,000 
deaths every year. In fact, heart disease kills more women than all 
forms of cancer combined.
  Sadly, 1 in 25 women will die from breast cancer but 1 in 2 will die 
from heart disease. In my home State of West Virginia, heart disease 
statistics are staggering. Thirty-one percent of all deaths were from 
heart disease in the year 2000.
  This month the United States Department of Health and Human Services 
and the National Institutes of Health, and the National Heart, Lung, 
and Blood Institute have made it their mission to educate women about 
heart disease, because regardless of their age, it is never too late to 
combat heart disease.
  A woman's risk of heart disease starts to rise gradually between the 
age of 40 to 60, but heart disease develops gradually and can start at 
a very young age. Older women need to take action to prevent and 
control the risk factors for heart disease. Regardless of our ages, it 
is never too late for women to combat heart disease. We should be 
spreading that message today and every day.

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