More than 6,600 women will die this year from heart and circulatory diseases in the West Midlands, new figures have revealed.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has revealed that an estimated 327,000 women are currently suffering from the illness stereotyped as a ‘man’s disease’ in the West Midlands.
The BHF has launched a ‘virtual’ Women’s Room, in a bid to raise awareness of the condition.
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The initiative is an online hub which allows women with heart conditions to share their experiences and find support from other sufferers.
Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the BHF, said: “Coronary heart disease kills nearly three times as many women as breast cancer.
“Yet as a society we continue to prop up the myth that heart problems are just for men.
“Everything from TV adverts to soap plot lines show men with heart conditions.
“But it’s incredibly rare to hear about a woman with heart disease.
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“As a result, women often feel very isolated when they’re diagnosed with a heart condition.”
The figures released by the charity show 6,610 women a year die in the West Midlands from heart disease and circulatory disease.
Of those, around 1,140 are in Birmingham, 220 die in Solihull and 400 in Sandwell.
BHF hopes its virtual women’s room will help those with the illness by introducing them to others in the same position and removing the isolation surrounding heart disease in women.
Maureen added: “We want to shout from the rooftops that if you’re a woman living with heart disease that you are not alone.
“Our Women’s Room can give you the ‘informational hug’ you need and introduce you to other women just like you.”
The online hub will provide stories of women living with heart disease as well as practical information to help women adjust to life with a hear condition.
A forum will also give sufferers the chance to share their experiences of the illness and how to cope.