As a woman, you are more likely to die from a heart attack compared to men. Together, we can save more women’s lives and tackle the heart attack gender gap.
It’s estimated that over the course of a decade, differences in care for women have contributed to over 8,000 avoidable deaths in England and Wales. These avoidable deaths are the result of women facing disadvantages in care and treatment compared to men who have suffered a heart attack.
In 2017, we surveyed 4,000 women to discover what women know about their heart health and key medical risk factors like blood pressure, cholesterol levels and lifestyle factors.
We found:
Symptoms
Women are less likely than men to recognise symptoms of a heart attack and delay getting medical help for longer, reducing their chance of survival.
Contrary to widely held beliefs, research has found no difference in key heart attack symptoms between men and women. Incorrectly assuming that women having a heart attack suffer different symptoms from men, could lead to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and less intensive medical interventions.
Treatment
Women have a 50% higher chance of receiving the wrong initial diagnosis after a heart attack, meaning they are less likely than men to promptly receive the life-saving treatments they need.
It has also been found that women are half as likely to receive recommended heart attack treatments.
Clinical trials
A major issue in women’s heart disease research is the historical and ongoing under-representation of women in clinical trials. As a result, most diagnostic techniques and treatments have been developed based on studies focused primarily on men.
We need to challenge the misconception that heart disease is a man’s disease. Find out more about the heart attack gender gap.
Due to the declining levels of oestrogen during menopause, women are more likely to develop coronary heart disease. During pre-menopause, women in general have a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease than men. It is thought that oestrogen, a naturally produced hormone, helps to control cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of fatty plaques building up inside artery walls.
Oestrogen may provide some protection against coronary heart disease, resulting in pre-menopausal women being less likely to develop the condition than men. The risk may increase for women from the onset of menopause as oestrogen levels are declining.
Read the symptoms
Each year 23,000 women die from coronary heart disease in the UK. Help us save every one of them.