Heart attacks happen to women too

Wising up to the risks

Here are some statistics to set your heart racing. According to the British Heart Foundation, 35,000 women are admitted to hospital following a heart attack each year in the UK – that’s an average of four women every hour – and coronary heart disease kills twice as many women in the UK as breast cancer. But for decades, doctors and patients have thought of heart disease and heart attacks as something that predominantly affect overweight, middle-aged men.

ON THE RISE

Despite the hormone oestrogen being cardio-protective, post menopause, your risk rises and continues to rise as you get older and, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) fact sheet, one in 15 female deaths is a result of coronary heart disease.

Scientists writing in the British Medical Journal believe that, despite the elevated risks, women are still receiving worse care than men and are 50% more likely to have a heart attack initially misdiagnosed.

It’s not just the medical experts who are to blame. ‘We’re eating worse and exercising less, which is raising our

LDL (bad) cholesterol and pushing up our blood pressure, which is all adding to the risk,’ says GP Dr Jeff Foster.

Plus, women themselves still see heart disease as a typically male condition. It means men who think they are having a heart attack call 999, while all too often women think it might be indigestion and don’t like to make a fuss. This can dramatically reduce your chance of survival. Rapid treatment is essential, and the aim is to restore blood flow to the affected part of the heart muscle as soon as possible. This helps to limit damage to the heart.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

Heart attack symptoms can vary from person to person, according to the BHF, and they say there are no symptoms that women experience more or less often than men.

The most common signs of a heart attack are: chest pain or discomfort in your chest that suddenly occurs and doesn’t go away. It may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing. The pain may spread to your left or right arm or may spread to your neck, jaw, back or stomach. You may also feel sick, sweaty, light-headed or short of breath. Less common symptoms include: a sudden feeling of anxiety that can feel similar to a panic attack, excessive coughing or wheezing.

If you experience any of the above, head straight to A&E.

Women see heart disease as a typically male condition