Thousands of women are dying ‘unnecessarily’ from heart disease, heart specialists have warned.
Writing in the journal Heart, the researchers found that the misconception that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a ‘man’s disease’ has to led to women being ‘underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials’.
Professor Vijay Kunadian, lead author of the report said: ‘Heart disease, in particular coronary artery disease, is the number one killer for women in the UK and worldwide. And yet, even to this day, we see that their symptoms are being ignored or [women are] told there is nothing wrong with them, or treated for something else, when all along they might be suffering from a heart problem.’
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CVD, also called heart and circulatory disease, is an umbrella name for conditions that affect the heart or circulation. Symptoms of heart disease can include chest pain, breathlessness, very fast or slow heartbeat, or palpitations and swollen limbs.
The report was drawn up by 33 health researchers affiliated with the British Cardiovascular Society to address unmet needs, ensuring parity of care and improving the health outcomes of women with CVD in the UK and worldwide.
While over 3.6 million women in the UK are currently affected by ischaemic heart disease, which kills one in 14 women, the heart specialists found that conventional risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, were often not treated as promptly or as appropriately as they were in men.
Women also face cultural, societal, and financial issues, which increases their heart disease risks. ‘Myths and unconscious biases within clinical practices and societal perceptions further obscure the reality that heart disease does not discriminate by sex,’ said the report.
The authors have set out recommendations aimed at ‘saving many women from losing their lives unnecessarily from preventable conditions in the UK and also worldwide’.
Responding to the report, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson promised to prioritise women’s health and voices.
‘In the broken NHS we inherited it is clear women's health has been neglected. Cardiovascular disease is one of this country's biggest killers of women and men, which is why this government will deliver up to 130,000 extra health checks at workplaces across the country to catch this and other diseases earlier.’