HEART disease can affect women as well as men – a fact that the British Heart Foundation wants to highlight.

Research reveals that 250 women died in the St Helens area in 2013 from heart and circulatory problems.

The BHF now has a virtual Women’s Room to raise awareness of heart disease in women creating a unique, supportive space for females living with the disease.

Although stereotyped a ‘man’s disease’, more than 435,000 women in the North West live with a heart or circulatory condition and last year there were 10,290 related deaths within the region.

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 plotlines show men with heart conditions. But it’s incredibly rare to hear about a woman with heart disease.

“As a result women often feel very isolated when they’re diagnosed with a heart condition. We want to shout from the rooftops that if you’re a woman living with heart disease 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.”

Even with supportive family and friends around them, women can feel lonely and afraid when they’re diagnosed with a heart condition. The BHF’s Women’s Room – an online hub available 24 hours a day - allows women with heart conditions to share their experiences and find support from other women who know exactly what they’re going through in a women-only online forum.

Visit www.bhf.org.uk/women