No. 1 killer of Nashville women may surprise you

• Cardiovascular disease kills one out of every three women in the United States.
• British Robinson is CEO of Women’s Heart Alliance. Dr. William Frist chairs NashvilleHealth.

If you were asked to name the No. 1 cause of death in women in Davidson County, what would you say?

Some might suggest cancer, or perhaps Alzheimer’s. But the truth is that our number one “lady killer” is a condition that many consider a man’s disease.  And what’s even more striking is that its early symptoms can go unnoticed for years.

Cardiovascular disease kills one out of every three women in the United States. In Davidson County, it is women’s number one killer. For every one woman who dies of breast cancer, more than eight die from heart disease and stroke.

And even more are at risk: 22 percent of adults smoke; nearly one-third are obese; one in four are physically inactive; and more than 33  percent report having high blood pressure.

We cannot ignore a disease that is killing the women who energize and drive this town and make it thrive. That is why in February, the Women’s Heart Alliance  along with more than two dozen of Nashville’s leaders said enough is enough, and came together to take aggressive action.

Together we launched the Cities and Communities with Heart Initiative, or CCHI Nashville, a collaborative initiative envisioned and led by WHA to stop women in Nashville from needlessly suffering and dying from cardiovascular disease.

CCHI Nashville will take a wide-ranging approach to improving women’s heart health, including launching a study to better understand the links between pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease, a screening and prevention program at Tennessee State University, activities with Nashville’s hospitals and health systems to improve the heart health of our city’s nurses and a community initiative in health centers that serve African American women and others who are disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular disease.

As much as we’d like to stop heart disease with a quick visit to the doctor’s office, real and lasting change must happen through collective action that harnesses the power of communities.

Here’s what anyone — male or female — can do to take action today:

• #GetHeartChecked. The good news is that cardiovascular disease is 80 percent preventable: eating healthy, getting regular physical activity and adhering to medications that control blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce risk of heart disease and stroke significantly. Download the Women’s Heart Alliance’s wallet card and bring it to your health care provider so that you can get to know your heart health numbers: cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and body mass index, among others. Knowing your numbers is the first step to good heart health.  
• Encourage your friends and family members to do the same. Let the younger women in your life know that their risk for heart disease and stroke are increasing and encourage them to talk with their health care provider about their risk. 
• Educate yourself and raise awareness among your family and friends. Many women, and even some health care providers, are not aware that the signs and symptoms of heart disease can be different for women, compared to men. Women may not experience chest pain when they are having a heart attack. Rather, they may have nausea; shortness of breath; dizziness; indigestion; shoulder, jaw or back pain; and fatigue that can persist for days. Knowing the signs can make all the difference in getting timely, life-saving medical care.
• Join us. If you want to be a part of the community collaborative to address women’s heart health in Nashville, go to nashvillehealth.org/get-involved/ or womensheartalliance.org to share your interest and get involved. We cannot do this alone. 

The energy, passion and commitment of leaders throughout Nashville toward this effort are just the tip of the iceberg. The exciting opportunities ahead will help ensure that Nashville stops this “Lady Killer” in its tracks—and saves the lives of our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.

British Robinson is CEO of the Women’s Heart Alliance. William H. Frist, M.D. is a partner at Cressey & Co., a cardiac surgeon, former U.S. Senator and chairman of NashvilleHealth.