Women are dying from heart attacks unnecessarily because of the mistaken perception that they mostly happen to men, a leading charity says.
Inequalities at every stage lead to women being diagnosed late and not getting the prompt treatment and aftercare they need to survive a heart attack. Research funded by the British Heart Foundation has found that more than 8,000 women died between 2002 and 2013 in England and Wales because they did not receive the same standard of care as men.
It begins with the perception of risk, says the BHF, which is launching a campaign to end the inequity. There is a general assumption in society that heart disease is more common in men than women. And even some doctors wrongly believe that the symptoms women experience during a heart attack are different from those of men.
“Public understanding of women and heart attacks is beset by misperceptions. These are dangerous when they mean a woman doesn’t recognise the symptoms of her heart attack and delays seeking and receiving medical help,” says a BHF report.
“That is why we need to raise awareness of heart attack among women: the longer treatment for a heart attack is delayed, the greater the chance of permanent damage to the heart. Worldwide, coronary heart disease is the single biggest killer of women.”
The most common symptoms, for both men and women, are sudden central chest pain or discomfort in the chest that doesn’t go away, which can feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing. There may be pain that radiates down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach. People can feel sick, sweaty, light-headed or short of breath.
Women are 50% more likely to get a wrong diagnosis than a man. Someone with a heart attack who is initially wrongly diagnosed has a 70% higher risk of death after 30 days than someone who gets the right diagnosis straight away.
Women are also less likely to get the right treatment in a timely manner and less likely to have the proper aftercare, including medication to prevent a second heart attack. They are also less likely to change their lifestyles by stopping smoking and improving their diet and increasing their physical activity.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, a consultant cardiologist and associate medical director of the BHF, said there were inequalities at every stage. “Heart attacks have never been more treatable. Yet women are dying needlessly because heart attacks are often seen as a man’s disease, and women don’t receive the same standard of treatment as men.
“The first steps to closing this gender gap include changing the public perception of women and heart attacks. The assumption that women are not at risk of heart attack is false, and has proven to be deadly.”
“As a starting point, we want to empower women to better understand their risk and to know the many symptoms of a heart attack. When someone has a heart attack – every second counts. The sooner people recognise their symptoms and call 999, the better their chance of recovery.
“In addition, we need to continue to fund research to better prevent, diagnose and treat heart attacks. We also need to raise national awareness of gender-based inequalities in heart attack care and identify and guard against unconscious biases that could contribute to them.”
