Q: I read an article recently that mentioned women should be aware of a "silent epidemic." What is the "silent epidemic"?

A: Heart disease in women has been referred to as the "silent epidemic." It's a common misconception that heart disease only affects men.

Early studies showed that heart attacks were extremely rare in premenopausal women, and that women in their 50s had considerably fewer heart attacks than men of the same age.

But as populations have been followed for longer periods of time, it has become evident that heart disease is the major cause of death among women as well as men. Almost half of the more than 500,000 heart attack deaths each year are women.

Major risk factors -- which can be modified -- are smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

If you think you might be at risk for heart disease, contact your physician.

Gordon A. Ewy, M.D., director, University Heart Center, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson

For referral to a UA physician, please call University Health Connection, (520) 694-8888.