Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the UK and worldwide as it claims more lives a year than breast cancer
Mistaken beliefs about heart disease means it is under diagnosed and under treated in women, who die unnecessarily from the condition, experts have warned.
Academics say there is a misconception it is a man’s disease but it is the number one killer for women, claiming more lives a year than breast cancer. The warning is issued in a “consensus statement” by 33 experts linked to the British Cardiovascular Society, published in the journal Heart.
Lead author Prof Vijay Kunadian, of Newcastle University, said: “Heart disease, in particular coronary artery disease, is the number one killer for women in the UK and worldwide. We see their symptoms are being ignored or women are told there’s nothing wrong with them, or treated for something else, when… they might be suffering from a heart problem.
“People assume it is a man’s disease – when a man complains he is more likely to get the attention from the ambulance or the doctors for example. We need to… make people think this is also a woman’s condition.”
More than 3.6 million women in the UK are currently affected by ischaemic heart disease, which kills one in 14 women. The paper’s main recommendation is to call for a concerted effort to raise awareness, in the public and clinicians, of the burden of cardiovascular disease on women.
The British Heart Foundation’s Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, a consultant cardiologist, said: “Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer every year, yet robust evidence from across the globe shows the odds are stacked against you if you are a woman, part due to entrenched biases in society including health and care.
“This shocking state of affairs show inequalities negatively affect women’s heart health at all stages in the patient journey.” The BHF has warned cardiovascular deaths have begun to rise for the first time in nearly six decades.
In 2022, 39,000 people in England died before 75 from cardiovascular conditions – the highest since 2008. Record NHS backlogs mean conditions are going undiagnosed, heart ops are being delayed while longer 999 response times mean many are not surviving heart attacks and strokes.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “In the broken NHS we inherited it is clear women’s health has been neglected. This government will prioritise women’s health as we reform the NHS and ensure their voices are heard. This government will deliver up to 130,000 extra health checks at workplaces across the country.”
