Heart conditions are the “number one killer for women”, experts have said, but cases are being “ignored” and more must be done to stop “preventable” deaths.
A group of leading heart specialists have warned the “misconception” that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a “man’s disease”, has contributed to cases among women going “under-recognised and undertreated”.
Writing in the journal Heart, the academics said most heart disease is “preventable” so more should be done to “ensure parity of care for women with CVD”.
Lead author, Professor Vijay Kunadian, 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.”
Professor Kunadian said statistics show women being undertreated, leading to higher death rates following heart attacks.
“We can’t ignore that any more, it is about time that we do something about it,” the professor said, adding that if women received appropriate treatment “their lives could be saved”.
The group of 33 specialists from across the UK wrote in the journal Heart how more than 3.6 million women in the country currently suffer from by ischaemic heart disease (also known as coronary heart disease), which kills one in 14 women.
“The misconception that it is a ‘man’s disease’ underlines that CVD in women has contributed to its under-recognition and undertreatment,” the group, who are affiliated with the British Cardiovascular Society, said.
They pointed to a “discrepancy” between men and women when it comes to diagnosis and treatment – women are less likely to receive certain treatments or diagnostic tests.
And women are “frequently under-referred for treatment which leads to poorer outcomes,” they added.
The group also highlighted that women are “under-represented” in clinical research about cardiovascular disease.
It set out recommendations aimed at “saving many women from losing their lives unnecessarily from preventable conditions in the UK and also worldwide”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “In the broken NHS we inherited it is clear women’s health has been neglected.
“This government will prioritise women’s health as we reform the NHS and ensure their voices are heard.
“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.”