Can have heart attacks too
Aled that women are to be misdiagnosed writes LAURA MILNE
uffering a heart attack receive the rong initial diagnosis there are otentially important clinical percussions, including an increased sk of death,” says Dr Chris Gale, a HF-funded researcher, who worked n the study. “We need to work harder o shift the perception that heart ttacks only affect a certain type of erson. “Typically, when we think of a erson with a heart attack, we nvisage a middle-aged man who is verweight, has diabetes and smokes. his is not always the case. Heart ttacks affect the wider spectrum of he population, including women. “It is important that women are ware of the symptoms of a heart ttack and also that they may not resent the ‘classic’ features of heart attack. “This research shows who is at risk of misdiagnosis and the dangerous consequences of this but more research is needed into tests that will enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of a heart attack.” Previous evidence has revealed a clear gender bias in the treatment of women who have heart problems. A 2012 French study conducted by the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Rennes, of 5,000 patients over six years, found women are twice as likely to die of a heart attack in hospital than men because doctors often see heart attacks as “a male problem”.
Women received less aggressive medical care, longer treatment delays, more complications and suffered longer hospital stays.
Experts say women need to be more vigilant about chest pains and other symptoms such as feeling hot and sweaty or breathless and request medical help quickly.
Looking back, Sarah now realises there had been warning signs in the days leading up to her heart attack. “I’d had chest pains on and off for a few days,” she says. “Yet I put it down to a takeaway meal I’d had a couple of days before. I thought I’d overdone it and it was indigestion.”
Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the UK. It happens when one of the coronary arteries is blocked by a blood clot. The heart continues to pump blood but the heart muscle is starved of oxygen-rich blood. Urgent treatment is vital as without it the heart muscle can become permanently damaged, leading to heart failure.
There are around 275,000 female heart attack survivors living in the UK, many of whom will be living with heart failure as a consequence of their heart attack.
The longer a heart attack is left undiagnosed and untreated, the more the heart muscle can be irreversibly
SYMPTOMS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the centre of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. This usually originates in the chest and radiates to one of these areas but not always. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness. damaged and many patients will eventually need a heart transplant to extend their lives. Sarah was taken to hospital where she had a stent fitted. After completing a six-week cardiac rehab course she is able to live a relatively normal life. While she was unable to return to her former work as a hairdresser she is now able to work part time in an office. Sarah, a former smoker, is grateful to the paramedics who saved her life but wants other women to be aware of the risks.
“I never thought in a million years I’d have suffered a heart attack,” she