By Rose Caiola for Rewire Me

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with cardiologist and author of Women and Cardiovascular Disease, Dr. Kevin R. Campbell regarding heart disease prevention, medical breakthroughs, and what we can do to keep our hearts healthy and strong.

Here’s what he had to say:

RC: Are women more prone to heart disease than men?

KC: The prevalence of heart disease is similar in both men and women. However, women tend to be under-diagnosed, undertreated and underserved. More women than men in the US die of heart disease every year. … In fact, heart disease kills more women than all cancers in the US today.

RC: What are steps we can take to increase our awareness and maintain a healthy heart?

KC: Ask yourself: what risk factors do I have? Do you have a history of heart disease? Do you have high blood pressure? Are you obese? The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk of developing heart disease. The next step is to partner with a primary care physician who will help you modify your risks, who will walk the journey with you down the road to better your heart health by designing a diet and exercise plan and setting goals.

RC: What was your inspiration for writing the book?

KC: My daughter. She is now 14 years old but when she was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes when she was 5. I was inspired to make sure there were health care professionals and women around the world who realized that heart disease was their greatest risk. I want to make sure that someone’s around when I’m not here to advocate for my daughter and understand that she is at risk for heart disease and will work with her to modify her risks. She even drew the cover art for my book.

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