‘Doctors said my heart attack was anxiety – women need to be warned’
Fran McIntyre is the picture of health today, with no lingering symptoms or significant health issues. But just five years ago, she was grappling with the aftermath of a heart attack.
Back in 2021, Fran, then 44, sought medical help for some worrying symptoms but was almost entirely brushed off by doctors who put it down to anxiety. Believing the diagnosis, Fran began to organise her own discharge, even browsing for takeaway on her phone, when suddenly the medical staff urgently summoned her back.
She recalled: “I had no idea I was having a heart attack. Even in the hospital, they thought I was fine until blood tests showed otherwise.”
Post-diagnosis, Fran’s ordeal continued as she encountered blatant gender disparities in healthcare: “After being discharged, I was given aspirin and left to get on with it – there was no follow-up care or ongoing support.”
Fran’s harrowing experience is not unique; it underscores a wider issue faced by women in healthcare, particularly concerning cardiovascular disease. A new initiative between Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre and Research Data Scotland seeks to tackle these long-standing inequities, as women like Fran, 49 and from Edinburgh, often experience significant gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare.
Despite the fact that the condition results in double the number of fatalities as breast cancer among women in Scotland, the issue persists. Moreover, a 2019 report by the British Heart Foundation, titled Bias and Biology, highlighted that women often require up to six times more doctor appointments than men before receiving a suitable referral.
Additionally, women are more likely to have their cardiac symptoms dismissed as heartburn or anxiety, as seen in Fran’s case. Nevertheless, the mother-of-two remains optimistic, stating: “The fact that we know there’s an issue gives me hope.
“Initiatives like this partnership are exactly the kind of innovation we need. I don’t want other women to go through what I did without the support they deserve.”
Key factors contributing to these disparities include the historical underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and a lack of awareness about cardiac risks specifically affecting women. The partnership aims to address these concerns while empowering women to take control of their health data and decisions.
