Doctors miss women’s heart failure as they think it’s ‘male disease’

DOCTORS are more likely to miss the signs of heart failure in women than in men, according to a major study.

Researchers also found that female patients are less likely to be given the right drugs when they are finally diagnosed.

Experts say too many GPs see heart problems as a male preserve – despite 40 per cent of victims being women.

Heart failure, which affects 900,000 Britons, is a terminal condition in which cardiac muscles become too weak to pump blood properly around the body.

Oxford University academics identified critical shortcomings in care when tracking 93,000 NHS patients.

GPs were missing two thirds of cases – significantly increasing the risk of early death. Many patients were not receiving key medicines and only 17 per cent were followed up properly.

The situation was worse for women and the elderly on all five key indicators of quality care – including correct diagnosis. ‘ Heart failure is a severe condition and early diagnosis is crucial for doctors to rapidly initiate life-saving medications,’ said Dr Nathalie Conrad of the Oxford team.

‘Our findings suggest out-of-hospital screening for early signs of heart failure and follow-up are suboptimal. Women and older patients are particularly vulnerable to these shortcomings in current heart failure care.

‘Particular attention needs to be given to women and older patients to ensure they receive the treatment they need within the recommended time frame.’

The researchers, whose results are published in the PLOS Medicine journal, found women with heart failure were 9 per cent less likely than men to be diagnosed by their GP.

Over-75s were 15 per cent less likely to have the condition spotted than those in their 50s. Women were also 13 per cent less likely than men to get the right medicines.

The academics found only 36 per cent of all heart failure patients were diagnosed by GPs in 2014 – the latest figures available. The remaining 64 per cent had to wait until hospital.

Later diagnosis increases the risk of dying within a year from 20 per cent to 36 per cent.

Philippa Hobson of the British Heart Foundation said: ‘The misconception that heart disease is a male issue means some women are still missing out on the right treatment. We know that women who have a heart attack receive less care than men at almost every stage – from the moment they report symptoms through to the aftercare they receive.

‘ This research shows that women with heart failure also fare worse than men. We urgently need to raise awareness of this unacceptable inequality.’

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, who chairs the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘GPs understand the importance of early diagnosis and are highly trained to look out for the symptoms of heart disease, but it is notoriously difficult to diagnose in primary care as its early symptoms are often vague and can mimic more common conditions.

‘GPs need better access to diagnostic tests, so that when we do suspect heart disease, we can swiftly diagnose it.’

Women are less likely than men to receive resuscitation in a public place if they suffer cardiac arrest, researchers say.

The disparity, which experts say is because people simply do not expect women to suffer heart problems, means women have a far lower survival rate than men.

University of Amsterdam academics said 68 per cent of women who had a cardiac arrest received a resuscitation attempt from a bystander, compared with 73 per cent of men. The study covered 2006 to 2012.

‘Early diagnosis is crucial’