According to the annual update just released from the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women.

Cardiovascular disease, which include heart disease and stroke, claims more lives than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths, combined.

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Cardiovascular disease causes 1 in 3 deaths of women each year, yet only 44% of women realize that heart disease is their greatest health threat.

“The bottom line is women with heart disease are often misdiagnosed because they don’t present with the same symptoms as men. And classically, research was always done on men,” says Dr. Chauncey Crandall, world-renowned cardiologist and director of preventive medicine at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Florida.

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Like men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort, however, women are more likely to have other symptoms that are not typically associated with a heart attack, according to the AHA. These include:

• Anxiety
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach
• Pain the shoulder, back or arm
• Unusual tiredness and weakness

Women need to be persistent with their doctors to make sure they are listening to their concerns, Crandall tells Newsmax’s “Newsline.”

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“Are you having shortness of breath when you walk? Or if you're taking the groceries in from the supermarket, are you having complaints of chest pain? Or are you having atypical pain? Shoulder pain, jaw pain? These are other symptoms that the doctor should ask for,” says Crandall. But women must be persistent because doctors are busy and not always listening, adds Crandall.

“So, if you have a family history of heart disease, if you're a diabetic, if you're a smoker, you're at risk and you really need to push the doctor to dig deeper into your symptoms,” says Crandall, editor of the popular newsletter Dr. Crandall's Heart Health Report.

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In addition, a new study published the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that women who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy are at increased risk for early onset cardiovascular disease, an average of seven years earlier than women who did have hypertension during pregnancy.

“So, if you have a history of an elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, you need to stay on top of it. You need to follow up with the doctor and reduce the risk for further development of heart disease,” urges Crandall.

The good news, according to Crandall, is that heart disease can be prevented in women.

“You can have a better diet, you can exercise, you can be at ideal body weight, you can stop smoking. There are all sorts of things that we can do to prevent it, to give victory for women against heart disease,” says Crandall.