Like so many females across the globe, women in India often put their own health at the bottom of their priority lists, including their heart health. In fact, an overwhelming statistic from the World Health Organization says roughly 1.7 million deaths among women are caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD) in India each year.
When it comes to warning signs of heart attacks, women may experience subtler symptoms such as extreme tiredness, nausea or dizziness. They might downplay these symptoms and attribute them to the flu or acid reflux when something much more serious is going on.
That’s why clinicians are turning to innovative medical technologies to help detect heart attacks in women earlier. For example, if doctors suspect a heart attack, they often conduct a blood test to measure troponin proteins in the blood. These proteins are released by the body when the heart muscle has been damaged; the more damage to the heart, the greater the amount of troponin in the blood.
Levels of troponin proteins are usually lower in women than in men, which may mask a serious heart condition or lead to delayed treatment. Since the troponin levels guide physicians in treatment decisions, lower levels could contribute to less aggressive heart attack treatment for women.
Today, doctors can use advanced diagnostic tools such as Abbott’s high-sensitivity troponin I blood test to detect very low levels of troponin. Research suggests that the simple blood test could double the diagnosis of heart attacks in women.
Survey findings of nearly 600 cardiologists in India stated that 83 per cent of women were uninformed about heart disease although more than half of the doctors reported a 16 to 20 per cent rise in CVD among women.
Women have a higher prevalence of risk factors and are often undertreated after a heart attack, which could lead to lower survival rates. As today marks World Heart Day, it is an important reminder for women to become informed about matters of the heart, especially when it comes to heart attacks.
Heart attack signs and symptoms:
- Chest pain or discomfort that usually lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back; it can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, pain, heartburn or indigestion
- Upper body discomfort that can be in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach
- Shortness of breath, which may be the only symptom, or it may occur before or along with chest pain or discomfort
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Light headedness
- If you or anyone you know experience any of these symptoms, it is critical to get evaluated by a physician right away