Heart disease 'leading cause of death'

Older women using home care should make an effort to lower their cardiovascular risk factors, after heart disease was found to be a top cause of death.

Research published in journal Breast Cancer Research found that due to advancements in treatment of breast cancer, two-thirds of women with the condition died from other causes.

Cardiovascular disease was found to be the leading cause of death in this group, reflecting the high incidence of cardiovascular deaths among older women in the general population.

Jennifer Patnaik, of the University of Colorado Denver, said: "Cancer is a big killer and is responsible for about a quarter of all deaths. However breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence and patients need to take care of their health to reduce their risk of dying from heart disease and other age-related diseases."

Meanwhile, investigators at the University of Sheffield have found that one in five heart attack deaths are avoidable with a new drug.

According to the study, drug ticagrelor could prevent one in five heart attack deaths if it replaced standard treatment with drug clopidogrel.

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