Women’s heart health awareness: Heart disease is often seen as a ‘man’s disease’, but it is the leading cause of death in women worldwide and its symptoms are often overlooked.
According to Dr. Vivek Chaturvedi, HOD, Cardiology, Amrita Hospital Faridabad, several factors contribute to this phenomenon, including differences in the presentation of symptoms, social perceptions and medical prejudices, which put women at a higher risk of being misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. One of the main reasons why the symptoms of heart disease are neglected in women is that they are often different from those experienced by men. While men usually experience chest pain or discomfort, women may experience more subtle and less typical symptoms.
“These include fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, back pain, jaw pain and dizziness. These vague symptoms can be confused with other conditions, leading women and health care providers to rule out heart disease. Many women are not even aware that heart disease affects them as much as men and may attribute these symptoms to less serious problems such as stress, aging or hormonal changes,” Dr. Chaturvedi told Financial Express.com.
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Social stereotypes also play an important role in women’s lack of awareness of heart disease.
Historically, heart disease awareness campaigns have focused mainly on men, giving women a false sense of security. “In popular culture, images of a heart attack often show a man clutching his chest, which can make women less likely to recognize the signs themselves. In addition, many women tend to prioritize the health of their family over their own, delaying medical assistance until the symptoms become severe,” he highlighted.
According to Dr. Chaturvedi, medical bias, although often unintentional, plays a significant role in the disparity seen in diagnosing and treating heart disease in women.
“Healthcare providers may sometimes overlook or misinterpret symptoms of heart disease in women, particularly because women tend to present different and often subtler signs compared to men. This can stem from historical knowledge gaps and ingrained assumptions, leading to an underestimation of a woman’s risk for heart disease, especially among younger women,” he revealed.
Raising awareness about the unique symptoms of heart disease in women and promoting gender-specific research and education among healthcare providers are essential steps in addressing this disparity.
Encouraging women to advocate for their own health, recognize symptoms early, and seek timely medical help can significantly reduce the rates of misdiagnosis and improve heart health outcomes for women.
“Heart disease has always affected women but has often been underrecognized. In the past, rheumatic heart disease was very common among young women but was largely overlooked due to social biases. This led to severe valve disease in these women, causing many preventable deaths and disabilities. Now that rheumatic heart disease is on the decline, degenerative heart diseases such as heart attacks, heart failure, angina, high blood pressure, and arrhythmias (heartbeat irregularities) have increased sharply among Indian women. Traditionally, degenerative heart diseases like heart attacks and angina were thought to occur only in women after menopause when their risk for heart disease approaches that of men,” he told Financial Express.com.
However, with urbanization and increasing life expectancy, many women now experience heart problems before menopause, in their 30s and 40s. The primary reasons for this rise are unhealthy lifestyle habits that are becoming increasingly common among women.
Increased smoking, unhealthy diets, lack of proper physical activity, and psychosocial factors like stress are major contributors. These factors have also led to a growing prevalence of diabetes, obesity (especially abdominal obesity), and high blood pressure, which further contribute to heart disease.
‘Awareness in crucial’
“Heart diseases are less recognized in women primarily due to a lack of awareness, social biases, and limited access to healthcare. As the foundation of the Indian family, women often prioritize the needs of other family members and neglect their own health. While many women experience typical heart disease symptoms, many also have atypical symptoms, more so than men, which are often dismissed as being due to overwork, imagination, or attention-seeking behavior,” he informed.
To address these issues, education, awareness, and easy access to gender-sensitive healthcare are essential.
Dr. Chaturvedi highlighted that many women prefer not to be seen by male healthcare workers, and ready access to preventive measures like glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol screenings should be made universally available without requiring hospital visits.
“Another important aspect of heart health involves pregnancy and delivery-related heart issues, which require greater emphasis, awareness, and training among healthcare providers to prevent catastrophic outcomes from pregnancy-related conditions such as high blood pressure, pulmonary embolism, and cardiomyopathy,” he added.