Women in the UK are dying “unnecessarily” from heart disease due to being underdiagnosed and undertreated for cardiovascular conditions, according to leading experts. Despite cardiovascular disease (CVD) being the leading cause of death among women, it remains widely viewed as a “man’s disease,” creating a dangerous misconception that contributes to disparities in care.
A group of heart specialists from across the UK has highlighted these disparities in a consensus statement published in the journal Heart. They stress that many forms of heart disease are preventable, urging for better recognition and treatment for women. The experts point out that over 3.6 million women in the UK suffer from ischaemic heart disease, which claims one in 14 female lives.
Despite these alarming statistics, women are less likely to receive the appropriate diagnostic tests and treatments, often leading to worse outcomes. The study also highlights the under-representation of women in clinical trials, with treatments designed primarily for men and then applied to women. This “one-size-fits-all” approach fails to account for the unique cardiovascular needs of women.
Professor Vijay Kunadian, the lead author and a professor of interventional cardiology at Newcastle University, explains that women’s heart disease symptoms are often misdiagnosed or ignored. “Lives are being lost because women are not receiving the right treatment,” she said, urging healthcare providers and the public to acknowledge that heart disease is a significant threat to women.
The authors of the paper, affiliated with the British Cardiovascular Society, have proposed actionable recommendations to address these inequalities, including raising awareness among healthcare professionals and the public about the true impact of cardiovascular disease on women.
The British Heart Foundation’s Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan added, “Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer every year, yet societal and medical biases continue to worsen women’s heart health outcomes.”
For more detailed insights and recommendations from the experts, you can read the full journal article here.
