London - Women are more likely than men to die following a heart attack, research has shown.
A study of more than 11 000 adults found that women were less likely to be given medical procedures that could save their lives.
Doctors believe this could be because women tend to be older when they suffer heart attacks and are more likely to be diabetic, which could make them less suitable for invasive procedures. Another explanation could be that women are less likely to pick up on symptoms of heart trouble and therefore fewer go for treatment.
But there are also fears that women are not being given an angioplasty – a procedure that widens blocked or narrowed arteries to get the blood flowing back to the heart – because of the “wrong attitude of physicians”.
Researchers analysed data from 11 420 people in and around Paris who suffered cardiac arrest while not in hospital. The team, from the Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre, found that the survival rate before hospital admission was 18 percent for women compared to 26 percent for men.
Angioplasties were performed on just 26 percent of women, while 36 percent of men received the treatment, according to the research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London.
Responding to the findings, Professor Carlo Di Mario, a cardiologist at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust in London, said: “When they have a heart attack, women are usually older and tend to be diabetic more often, both of which are important factors that increase mortality risk. These factors are, however, unlikely to be the only reason for their higher mortality.
“The medical community must still decide how much of this gender imbalance in angioplasty treatment is due to inherent characteristics within the female population or to the wrong attitude of physicians.”
Most heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease, in which a gradual build-up of fatty material narrows the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
The condition affects more men at a younger age than women, although from the age of 50 a woman’s risk increases and is similar to the risk in men.
The condition affects around 850 000 British women – but many are unaware they have it.
Previous research showed that fewer women than men undergo scans to assess their heart’s health, meaning fewer receive treatment. But studies show that when women do get the correct diagnosis and treatment, the results are as good as they are in men.
Professor Di Mario said women are less likely to notice symptoms because they think they are not at risk.
“A 45-year-old healthy woman checks her breasts [for breast cancer] when she showers but may have never checked her cholesterol or measured her blood pressure because she will not think she is at risk of a heart attack,” he added. Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said that since the study was carried out in France, “the results may not necessarily apply to other countries” – but he said that “it does imply a gender bias towards more men than women being investigated and treated once they reach hospital after a cardiac arrest”.
He added that the study highlights that heart disease is “a real risk for women” and urged those with symptoms such as chest pain to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Daily Mail