Heart disease and women

Filed in archive News on September 1, 2005

Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and is often thought of as a "male" disease. The BMJ aims to break this perception:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both sexes world-wide, exceeding the number of deaths for all cancers combined.

But writing in the British Medical Jornal, cardiologist Ghada Mikhail said it is still considered a male disease.

In fact, in Europe cardiovascular disease kills 55% of women, but only 43% of men.

Dr Mikhail, based at North West London Hospitals and St Mary's Hospital Trusts, said many women were unaware that coronary heart disease is their main killer - their biggest fear is breast cancer.

But even more worrying, she said, was the apparent lack of awareness of cardiovascular disease in women among healthcare professionals.

Dr Mikhail said women may have less common symptoms, such as back pain, burning in the chest, abdominal discomfort, nausea, or fatigue, which makes diagnosis more difficult.

They are also less likely to seek medical help, and tend to present late in the process of their disease.

In addition, they are less likely to have appropriate investigations, such as coronary angiography, which can delay the start of effective treatment.