It's a common misconception that cardiovascular disease is a man's disease. Actually the latest statistics show that heart disease nowadays affects more females than males. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is in fact the number one killer of women in the United States. Heart disease is responsible for 52 percent of all deaths in American women, claiming 500,000 female lives every year, more than all forms of cancer (America Heart Association).

In Europe numbers are pretty similar: CVD is the main cause of death for women in all 49 European countries for which data are available. Cardiovascular problems cause more than 50 percent of deaths in women in 27 countries, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe but also in Southern and Western Europe such as Greece and Germany (European cardiovascular disease statistics.2005 Edition British Heart Foundation).

Despite that, most of the people is unaware of this risk for women. A survey performed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 1998, showed that less than half of women over 50 had ever discussed cardiovascular disease with their physicians. Only 18 percent reported seeing any information related to cardiovascular disease in their physician's office. This lack of communication could be explained with the fact that researchers have only recently become aware that there are gender differences in the symptoms and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Women tend to have fewer of the typical heart attack symptoms. Diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, therefore, may be delayed.

On average, symptoms of heart disease usually begin later in life in women than in men. Though women may recognise that chest pain or pressure can signal a heart attack, they may not realise that neck, jaw or shoulder pain, nausea, fatigue or shortness of breath may be important warning signs as well. In fact, where the chest pain or pressure of typical angina predicts heart disease in 80 to 99 percent of men, it is only predictive in 50 to 60 percent of women. Evaluation of risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension and stress, can help physicians estimate the likelihood of cardiovascular disease in women with chest pain (Medical College of Wisconsin).

Risk Factors

As women age, particularly after menopause, they become more at risk for cardiovascular disease. Lower levels of oestrogen during and after menopause are thought to increase a woman's risk for cardiovascular disease. Younger women are also at risk for cardiovascular disease if they smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and a family history of cardiovascular disease at young ages.

The most common risk factor for women is a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise is a physical training for heart and may also help prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, other important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Diabetes contributes even more to the risk of heart disease in women than men.

Treatment

Men are more likely to be offered treatment to prevent subsequent heart attacks. As a result, the number of cardiovascular deaths has decreased in men, but not in women. Compared to men, women are more likely to be misdiagnosed and are more likely to die of their first heart attack.

Further, women are less likely to undergo angioplasty (in which a balloon-like device is inserted to open an artery) or coronary artery bypass surgery. They are less likely than men to be referred for exercise rehabilitation after a heart attack and are less likely to remain enrolled.

According to recent studies women who have suffered a heart attack may be also less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) than men in the same condition. The intensive care unit isn't the only place where heart attack care seems to be swayed by a patient's sex. Results of related research reveal that women with signs of heart disease may also receive second-rate and delayed treatment compared with their male counterparts. Female heart attack victims may be less likely to receive life-saving electrocardiograms, clot-busting drugs and cardiac catheterization.

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