Women have to take risk of heart attacks seriously
ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT, MANY WOMEN BELIEVE ONLY MEN ARE AT RISK OF HEART ATTACKS. GEMMA FRANCIS FINDS OUT MORE
The risk of women having a heart attack increases once they have gone through the menopause.
ODr Ameet Bakhai, consultant cardiologist at The Spire Bushey Hospital
MILLIONS of women have no idea they could have a heart attack – because they believe only men suffer fatal cardiac arrests. Official figures show there are more than 800,000 women in the UK living with coronary heart disease, which is the main cause of heart attacks.
And around 35,000 women are admitted to hospital following a heart attack each year in the UK – an average of 98 per day.
But despite this, researchers who polled 2,000 women, found more than one in 10 believe only men have to worry about heart complaints.
And around one in eight don’t believe women suffer from heart attacks, while one in four think they would experience different symptoms to men if they did.
As a result, more than a third of women reckon they are less likely to seek help for chest pains than men.
Dr Sarah Brewer, medical director at vitamins and supplements supplier Healthspan, which commissioned the research, says: “Many are aware that heart attacks are something men need to be concerned about, but there is a huge misconception among women that they aren’t at risk.
“Not only is this wrong, but it could be the difference between life and death for some if they don’t take symptoms or the risk of a heart attack seriously.”
The study found just 87% of women would associate chest pains or discomfort with having a heart attack, while just over half recognise profuse and unexplained sweating as a possible symptom.
Others were unaware back pain, feeling sick or feeling light-headed could also be a signal of a heart attack.
Dr Ameet Bakhai, consultant cardiologist at The Spire Bushey
Hospital, explains: “The risk of women having a heart attack increases for them once they have gone through the menopause due in part to a reduction in oestrogen.
“And more than one in 10 in the survey didn’t realise this, plus a common misconception is that by being on HRT, women are protected from heart disease and unfortunately that’s not a straight forward assumption either.
“The research around this has shown some benefits and some risks unfortunately.
“Women are also not aware that they have a higher chance of suffering from a heart attack, if their male partner has had a heart attack given that husbands and wives often share the same behavioural risk factors and environmental factors such as smoking or sedentary lifestyle.”
Additionally, the stress of looking after a husband dying or surviving of a heart attack affects the wife caregiver negatively and increases their own risk of health issues, worsened by anxiety and depression.
There are many risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease and one in five of those surveyed said they have a family history of cardiovascular disease but 28% said they do little or no exercise to improve their cardio health.
Almost one in five of the women polled have high blood pressure while others have high cholesterol levels (12%), smoke (16%) or are overweight (3%).
But worryingly, 58% of women have no idea what their blood pressure is, while 77% don’t keep tabs on their cholesterol levels.
It also emerged 33% of women have suffered from chest pains, but only around half of them got checked out by a GP.
Almost one in five women do worry about their heart health but only one in 10 have had a health check to access their cardiovascular health.
Dr Ameet Bakhai adds: “Regular check-ups and screening is vital and the Healthspan survey showed that 69% of people who took the survey were already on a statin to lower their cholesterol.”
Changing jobs or reducing stress, cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol and taking supplements are also among the ways women try to improve their lifestyle to minimise the risk of heart problems.
Dr Meg Arroll a chartered psychologist and a health researcher working with Healthspan says: “A third of those in the study have changed their diet while 36% have exercised more often to try to reduce the chances of a heart attack.
“There are many psychological, cognitive and practical barriers to behaviour change when it comes to making lifestyle choices, but the good thing is that once these are identified, any helpful patterns can be tackled.
“These ‘modifiable’ factors are important because although we might not be able to change our family history of heart disease, we can certainly alter our thought patterns and tweak our environments to support health.
“For instance, many people have unrealistic optimism when it comes to health outcomes, thinking that heart issues will never happen to them because they have never experienced any symptoms.
“This is why the Healthspan research is so important, because many people are unaware of the range of symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease.
More than a third of those surveyed said that the heart health issue has made them feel older than their years, while more than a quarter said they felt more anxious than they did before.
One in four admitted it made them think more deeply about their mortality, while 15% even felt depressed following their heart attack.
Others admitted it has made them reassess what is important in their lives (23%), affected their confidence at work (21%) or even made them feel like a different person (26%).
Dr Meg Arroll adds: “Experiencing a life-threatening event such as a heart attack can have a significant impact on how we perceive ourselves, the world around us and our psychological wellbeing – as demonstrated by the Healthspan survey.
“It’s essential to give ourselves space and time to take stock of these shifts in identity, which will limit the detrimental effects on mental health.
“But if you do feel anxious or depressed following a heart attack, do see your GP who may refer you to a psychological service. Help is out there; you needn’t suffer with the aftermath of a heart attack in isolation.’
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found three in 100 of those polled have suffered from a heart attack.