Women are “under-treated” for Cardiovascular Disease

Jodi Newton

Women are under-recognised and under-treated when it comes to cardiovascular disease

Academics investigating the current state of the NHS have discovered that cardiovascular disease is considered a ‘man’s disease’ and this has resulted in women being under-treated and cases in women going under-recognised by doctors. Professor Vijay Kunadian explained how cardiovascular disease is the number one killer for women worldwide, and despite this fact, “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.”

A discrepancy between men and women

The group of specialists in the UK wrote how more than 3.6 million women in the UK currently suffer from ischaemic heart disease. This kills one in 14 women. A “discrepancy” was pointed out between men and women when it comes to diagnosing and treating the issue, overall women are less likely to receive specific treatments or diagnostic tests. And women are “frequently under-referred for treatment which leads to poorer outcomes,” they added. Also the group highlighted that, on the whole, women are “under-represented” in clinical research regarding cardiovascular disease. The group outlined recommendations aimed at “saving many women from losing their lives unnecessarily from preventable conditions in the UK and also worldwide”.

There was also concern at the state of the NHS with a quote stating, “In the broken NHS we inherited it is clear women’s health has been neglected.”

Lack of diagnosis for women

Many women who attend their GP with symptoms of cardiovascular disease are merely told that they have anxiety or that they have stress even though they have symptoms of cardiovascular disease when resting or asleep. Because their symptoms often differ from men’s they are clearly diagnosed less often. Women have smaller arteries than men so coronary heart disease develops differently to that of men.

Women’s diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or lack thereof is very shocking and it is vital that change around this is needed as ignorance around diagnosis is causing increased “preventable” deaths for women by having heart attacks. Women also face cultural, financial, and societal issues, increasing their heart disease risks. In addition, their physiology, biology and body shape not only affected their risk of cardiovascular disease but it also was added the effectiveness of diagnostic procedures and treatment was affected by these facts.

With World Heart Day on 29 September 2024, it is important to spread awareness about the signs, symptoms and effects of cardiovascular disease and for more information go to the World Heart Day website.

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