Actress Carrie Fisher became a victim Tuesday of a threat to women that's bigger than cancer: Heart disease.
Cancer does kill a lot of women. Four of every 10 women who die between ages 45 and 64 die of cancer. But more than 1 in 3 women — 43 million — are living with cardiovascular disease, many without knowing it.
"Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined," said Dr. Jennifer Mieres, professor of cardiology and population health at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in Hempstead, N.Y.
